


scelero÷sana

by Ghostfries



Category: AI: The Somnium Files (Video Game)
Genre: Dadte, F/M, Fluff and Angst and Humor, Gen, I don't remember how canon works don't come for me, Trauma Recovery, child abuse mentions, everyone has a lot of mental issues, mental health fic, post-resolution route, sometimes simultaneously, there are ocs but just for plot reasons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 60,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23045797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ghostfries/pseuds/Ghostfries
Summary: Moments between Date and his friends as they struggle to come to terms with the events of the past, their identities, and their mistakes - all while the ghosts of their pasts threaten to re-emerge.Or, as Aiba put it, "No-one else will understand what happened, so you might as well all stick together."
Relationships: Date Kaname & Everyone, Date Kaname & Okiura Mizuki, Date Kaname/Sagan Hitomi
Comments: 39
Kudos: 164





	1. 脳内 (nounAI)

**Author's Note:**

> (sets up tent in this dead-ass fandom) spare content? spare content anyone?

It was a cold winter day. Outside the Date residence, snow and sleet threatened to ravage the streets of Tokyo. A sound like a beep filled Date's head as his consciousness was dragged back from the recesses of sleep. Sighing, he sat upright on the sofa, casting a look to his ex-bed where Mizuki Okiura was sleeping soundly.

**[Beep beep.]**

Date lay back down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

**[Beep beep.]**

[What are you doing, Aiba?!] He shouted mentally to his brain-mate, lamenting the loss of his few precious hours of sleep.

 **[I am impersonating an alarm clock. An accurate portrayal, correct?]** Aiba's robotic voice was not something Date was prepared to listen to this early in the morning. At least she wasn't projecting an augmented image of herself onto the sofa this time. Small mercies.

[Why wake me up? I don't have to go to work for a few hours yet.]

 **[Yes, _usually_. But we have a meeting today at 7:15.] **Aiba admonished. **[Don't tell me you forgot!]**

"Ah, shit!" Date said out loud. For a second, he thought he might have woken Mizuki, but the girl simply released a single snore and turned over in the bed. She'd shifted in the night, and now the blanket was dripping off the side of the bed, barely covering any of her.

 **[In this weather, Mizuki will catch a cold if she remains like this.]** Aiba commented. **[Pu** **t the blanket back on.]**

[Yeah, yeah.]

He gently picked up the duvet and laid it on Mizuki's sleeping frame. The look on her face made him pause. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were curved up in a smile. What kind of dream would make such an abrasive brat look this sweet and innocent? He wished he could Psync right now and find out. She never smiled when she was awake - at least, not at Date.

He took a moment to write a short note in chickenscratch. Mizuki would definitely be mad if he left for work before they'd eaten breakfast together. Date knew how the kid got when she thought she was being abandoned. Leaving a memo explaining the situation would reduce the amount of organ damage he'd receive later.

**[You should inform her beforehand when there is a change of plans. Unstable daily routines can have a negative effect on mental health, especially for children in their formative years.]**

[Let's talk about this another time. I need to hurry and get ready for work.]

He spent the next few minutes rushing around the apartment in a daze, unaware of Mizuki's very much open eyes as she lay on her side, muffling a giggle with her pillow.

* * *

When Date came home from the all-day seminar about why ABIS agents needed to stop keeping their porn stashes in the control room (among other, less-important things), Mizuki was already there. As usual, she was bench pressing like there was no tomorrow. Date was almost afraid to check how many kilos she was able to bench now.

"I'm back." He said, slinging a red backpack off his shoulder and onto the kitchen counter.

Mizuki re-racked the weights, tilting her head in confusion. "Why were you wearing my old elementary school bag?"

"Cause there weren't any other bags to use." Date shrugged half-heartedly. "And I needed to buy stuff."

"Then buy yourself a new bag!" Mizuki scowled. "Or do you want to dress up as an elementary schooler that badly?"

"I do not!" Date said, affronted.

"Whatever, just don't touch my stuff ever again! For as long as you live!" Mizuki picked up the bag protectively, squeezing the charm between her fingers.

"Alright, alright, jeez."

Date heard his ringtone coming from his left eye.

**[Date, a call. It's from Mizuki's school.]**

[Mizuki's...?] Gears were turning in Date's simple mind. [Does that mean- Hitomi-?!]

 **[No, idiot. Mizuki is in her first year of junior high now. It won't be Hitomi.]** Aiba reminded him bluntly.

[Seriously... junior high already...] The thought made him a little sad, somehow.

**[Stop reminiscing and answer the call!]**

[Oh, sure. Sorry, Aiba. Put me through.]

The teacher's voice came through the artificial nerve to Date's brain. Mizuki, who couldn't hear anything, rolled her eyes at his characteristic lapse into silence.

"Hello?" Date asked.

"Yes, hello, is this Mizuki's father?"

"Um, no. I'm more like her legal guardian." He replied uncertainly, stunned that the teacher didn't already know Mizuki's father was long gone.

"Are you a relative, then?" The teacher continued his bombardment of questions.

 **[You could just tell them that you're her adopted father.]** Aiba encouraged, ever patient.

[I can't call myself that.] Date's face sunk a little upon hearing that one word. [Mizuki's father is Renju. He was a shitty father, but I can't usurp his role like that. It's not right.]

 **[You are overthinking this.]** Aiba said. Date knew she was probably right, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was doing something deeply wrong.

"Hello? Are you there?" The voice on the other side of the phone snapped him out of his melancholy.

"Ah, um, yes. What was your question again?"

"Are you a relative of Mizuki's?"

Date hummed and hawed, finding it hard to spit out the truth. "I, uh, well... yeah, I adopted her."

"Oh, I see." The teacher's tone brightened considerably. "Apologies, I just worry about my students, you know?"

"It's no problem. Is there a specific reason you're calling?"

"It's about Mizuki's behavior at school." Mizuki's teacher said, and Date felt his stomach drop. Those words never resulted in anything good.

"What happened?" Date asked, moving closer to the corner of the room so Mizuki wouldn't hear his responses.

"I'm afraid she caused rather a disruption at school today. She hit another student."

Date couldn't stop his head from whirling around to look at Mizuki, who'd gone back to bench pressing. She couldn't hear what he just heard. He moved his body further into the corner to muffle his voice.

"I'll talk to her about this. Thank you for informing me." He was about to tell Aiba to hang up, but it seemed like the teacher wasn't finished yet.

"Looking at her disciplinary record from her previous school, it isn't the first time she's reacted violently to conflict. I would recommend seeing a specialist for her anger issues."

"I'll... keep that in mind." Date said distractedly. "Goodbye."

Aiba promptly hung up the conversation.

Mizuki looked over at them. "Talking to Aiba again?"

"No. Phone call." Date replies. "Apparently you hit someone at school today."

Mizuki's face soured, and she hugged her legs up onto the bench. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well, too bad, cuz we're gonna."

Mizuki gave a death glare as Date sat down beside her.

"Listen, Mizuki. I'm not here to give you a hard time. I know you wouldn't hurt someone for no reason," said Date. "I just want to know what happened. Maybe I can help."

Mizuki faltered, momentarily considering the proposition. "I doubt it."

"Hell, if you don't wanna tell me, I'll let Aiba out so you can talk to her. She's better at this stuff than I am."

**[How generous of you.]**

"No, it's okay. I'll tell you." Mizuki said, a glimmer of pain in her eyes. "We had a transfer student come to our class today, and... she was really annoying. She kept coming up to me and asking me... things."

"Things?" asked Date.

"About Mom and Daddy." Mizuki lowered her head. "She kept talking about the New Cyclops Serial Killings, like... 'Hey, did your dad really kill your mom?' and 'So does that make you the daughter of a murderer?'"

"Mizuki..." Date's voice was filled with sympathy.

"So I... I slapped her." Mizuki confessed, curling up on herself. She seemed so small and lost. "She kept taunting me, and I got so angry I couldn't think straight, and then I just lost it."

[I'm gonna give that little shit what for,] thought Date.

 **[Aren't you the one who said adults have to learn moderation?]** Aiba cut in drily.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised," muttered Mizuki. "The murders went viral, after all. It's natural they'd bug me about it. But I still- I hate it so much. I want to kill them."

"Don't say that, Mizuki." Date said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Then what am I supposed to say? Or do?" Mizuki burst out. "I just have to listen to people badmouth Daddy?!" Her knuckles were turning white from how hard she was gripping the edge of the bench.

 **[There is likely nothing we can do about this situation. The gossip will fade as time passes, but until then, things will be very difficult for everyone.]** Aiba added, a note of guilt in her voice. **[The truth is known, but only to us. The rest of the world still does not have a satisfactory explanation.]**

[So what should I do?]

**[Mizuki needs comfort. The emotional wounds from that time are still fresh. All we can do is give her the circle of support she needs to rise above the bullies.]**

"You say that, but knowing how to do it is another story." Date retorted aloud before realizing his mistake. Mizuki gave him a withering look.

"Really, Date? You can't even be nice to me without Aiba instructing you? You suck at parenting." She pouted.

"I know! That's why I need her help! You think I know how to cheer up a little girl?" Date argued.

"You're so _stupid._ " Mizuki mumbled into her palm, tapping her feet on the floor. "Don't you see? I don't need anything special. Maybe once in a while I want someone to hug me and tell me everything's okay..."

Date spread his arms out wide. "Okay. C'mere, then."

"No!" Mizuki spat. "The moment's gone. Forget it."

[What does she want from me?!] Date mentally screamed, more than a little disappointed as his arms fell limply to his sides.

Aiba showed no sympathy to his plight. **[In addition to the obvious, Mizuki is going to experience puberty soon. Her emotions will be more volatile for the years to come. You need to step up to the plate as her guardian, Date.]**

[Oh joy.]

His mental griping was interrupted by a sudden weight leaning into his shoulder. Mizuki's head bobbed down as she nodded off and started to slide off the bench. Date grabbed her in a panic and hauled her back up. Her eyes flickered open.

"Sorry. I couldn't get to sleep last night." She yawned.

"Were you up late playing ShovelForge?" Date accused.

"N-No!" Mizuki protested indignantly. "I had a nightmare, is all!"

Date smiled wistfully. "Yeah? Me too, Mizuki."

Mizuki blinked, her attention piqued. "What do _you_ have nightmares about?"

"Reika getting a restraining order on me." Date replied without missing a beat.

"Wow, you get more pathetic every day."

 **[You are lying.]** pointed out Aiba. **[This is why she has no faith in you.]**

[Would you rather I told her the truth? You think she wants to hear that I dreamed of Iris and Ota sawed in half? Or Renju hung from the ceiling? That wouldn't accomplish anything.]

**[...]**

"Just get over here." Date pulled Mizuki closer for a half-hearted hug, earning a murderous expression in the process.

"Ew, ew! Don't touch me without permission!" Mizuki glowered, but she didn't stop him.

"Hey, did you get taller?" Date asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"So what if I did? What are you, the Height Police?"

"Do you have to make everything into an argument?"

"You started it."

"No I didn't."

"Did so."

"Did not."

**[It's at times like this I wish I had a sleep mode.]**

Mizuki fell silent for a few seconds, wrapping her arms around Date. "You know, this feels weird."

Date cocked his head. "Why, because I have a new body?"

"Well, yeah, but also that all this time, I was living with the body of the person who killed my parents." Mizuki said bluntly. "It makes me so angry."

"I mean... that's true, but... uh..." He fished for an ending to his sentence. "That body's gone now, kiddo. It's just me now. Good old Kaname Date."

"You got the old part right, at least." Mizuki's contented smile didn't match the venomous words she was spewing.

"Hey!" Date exclaimed.

"Besides, I like your new one better." She said under her breath as she nestled into the hug. "The old one was too handsome. Now you're a gross pervert inside _and_ out."

"Thanks a lot..."

 **[Mizuki seems to have cheered up a little.]** Aiba observed.

[Yeah, at the expense of my self-esteem.] Date shot back.

Mizuki's face became sad for a second. "I know I shouldn't fight other kids, but... they deserved it, and... I had no other outlet."

[Outlet, huh?]

Date made up his mind. He walked back over to the kitchen counter and opened up Mizuki's randoseru. He pulled something out - a bundle of fabric with brightly saturated blues and pinks.

"What are you- ah!" The bundle was thrown through the air, practically bouncing off Mizuki's face. She pulled the cloth into her arms and inspected it. "...Oh my god! An Adorabbit scarf!" Her face lit up immediately, radiating heart symbols into the atmosphere.

"W-Well, I just figured it's getting cold lately, right?" Date rambled with a forced smile. "Wouldn't want your frosty attitude to infect the rest of you."

Mizuki wrapped the scarf around her experimentally. "...It's really soft."

"What do you think?"

"Hmmm..." Mizuki put a finger to her chin and thought it over. "It really clashes with my other clothes... but I guess if it'll stop me freezing to death, I can wear something this ugly."

"So do you like it or not?" Date raised a weary brow.

"I-I don't like it!" Mizuki automatically burst out. "Don't think for a second it makes me happy when you buy me random crap I didn't even ask for!"

"Fine, I guess I'll take it back then."

"I didn't say that!"

**[Date, check her thermograph.]**

A thermal image of Mizuki popped up in Date's left eye.

**[Her blood pressure and temperature rose considerably just now.]**

[Meaning...?]

**[She lied. She was clearly very happy to receive that scarf from you.]**

Date stared at Mizuki with an obviously touched expression. She just looked confused.

 **[I am detecting buildup of moisture in your lacrimal glands. Is something the matter?]** Aiba inquired.

"No, shut up." Date mumbled, embarrassed.

"What?" Mizuki asked.

"Not you. Aiba's just being nosy again."

 **[I am not**. **]**

[Okay, but consider this.]

Date closed his left eye.

 **[Do you derive enjoyment from being so petty?]** Aiba rolled herself.

"More importantly, Mizuki," Date got up from the bench, making it creak in the process. "We'd better get going before it gets too dark."

Mizuki's eyes widened. "Huh? Where are we going?"

"It's a secret." Date winked. "But take your metal pipe with you, okay?"

* * *

A brief car journey later, night had begun to fall over Kabasaki. There were no shooting stars in the sky, but Date figured that was fine. Enough of his wishes had been granted already.

The car door slammed as Mizuki climbed out the passenger seat, taking in the looming building before them.

"Why are we here, of all places?" She threw a hand up to gesture at their destination: the abandoned Kabasaki Chemical Plant. It looked just as ominous as it always had, perhaps even more so, now they knew the truth of the place.

"There's something I need to do here. And I need your help, Mizuki." Date said, following her out of the vehicle.

"My help?" Mizuki pointed to herself uncertainly.

"Yeah. Follow me."

 **[I hope you know what you're doing, Date. This place holds traumatic memories for both of you.]** Aiba chimed in, ready to jump into a scolding at the first opportunity.

[That's exactly why.] Date replied as he walked with Mizuki through the eerily silent building.

**[Do you think coming here will bring you some kind of closure?]**

The AI received no response.

"Date, are we going into the back room?" Mizuki asked as she scanned the area for threats. There was nothing to be seen except oil drums and a whole crapton of stairs, thankfully.

"Yeah." Date nodded. "Are you okay with going in? I know I asked you for a favor, but if this room is too much for you..."

"Don't underestimate me!" Mizuki huffed, tying her scarf around her head like a martial arts headband. "I'm ready for anything!"

The sound of their footsteps echoed through the chemical plant as the two shuffled past shelves into the back room.

"Just as I thought." Date mumbled to himself as the two gazed up at the prototype Psync machine, still flashing its warm red streaks into the dark. "It's still here."

Mizuki walked up to it gingerly with unsteady feet. She ran a finger along the metal, just taking in the sight of it. "I... I thought they would have removed it. After he-"

There was no reason to finish her sentence. 'He' could be only referring to one person, the elephant in the room that no-one wanted to address. Neither Date or Mizuki had said his name in months.

The Cylops Killer was still alive in their minds, haunting their every waking moment. In old photographs, flashing a peace sign next to Mizuki and smiling with all the innocence in the world.

* * *

_"Date, I want to tell you something."_

_Futa Amanoma was looking at him with a grim expression as Inspector Kaniza observed with a watchful eye. The programmer was currently sending a video message to his ex-colleague through Aiba. Date tried not to pay attention to the prison riot that was occurring in the background behind Kaniza._

_"This better be important, Pewter." He snapped. "If you're trying to fuck with me with some mind games-"_

_"No, no, I assure you, I have nothing devious in mind." Pewter's smirk did nothing to help his case. "Since... my motivation for betraying you is dead, as you know."_

_"It's okay, Date." Kaniza insisted, rubbing the back of his neck. "We already removed all his electronics or anything he could use to control Aiba. I'm setting up this stream on my own laptop."_

_"You certainly searched me very thoroughly, Inspector." Pewter commented. "Perhaps too eagerly, in fact."_

_"Uh..." Date creased his eyebrows. "Do you actually have a message to pass on, or are you just livestreaming your sex tape?"_

**_[I thought you were into that kind of thing.]_ **

_[There has to be a hot chick! NTR without the hot chick is like a sandwich without the bread!]_

**_[Had it not been for Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics, I would have slaughtered you where you stand.]_ **

_"I hate to interrupt the mental argument I assume you two are having," Pewter put a hand on his hip, "But there is something I must warn you of." He looked to the man at his side. "Komori, a minute?"_

_"My name is Kagami!" shouted the inspector, startling the warring inmates behind him. The hapless inspector finally noticed what was going on and sprung into action. "H-Hey, what are you guys doing? Knock it off!"_

_Pewter moved his face closer to the monitor. Flailing arms and legs peeked out from behind him as Kagami tried to break up the fight._

_"So? Spit it out." Date complained, already fed up with this whole situation._

_"Don't be so hasty, Special Agent. This is a matter of utmost secrecy." Pewter countered._

_"Wow. I never pegged you for the secretive type, Mr. Accessory-To-Felony-Escape." Date couldn't stop the irritation from bleeding through into his voice._

_Pewter sniffed disdainfully. "I come to you with advice and this is how I'm treated."_

_"Advice?" He could practically feel Aiba snap to attention._

_"Remember the egg story I told you?" Pewter asked, holding a hand out like he was actually cupping the hypothetical egg._

_"Yeah." said Date, before mentally adding, [Aiba, that's your cue to hang up.]_

**_[No.]_ ** _Aiba said plainly._ **_[He may have information, even if his way of delivering it is... insufferably long-winded.]_ **

_"I said back then that the Psyncer's ego is like the yolk of the egg, yes?" Pewter continued monologuing in his typical dramatic fashion. His wearing the prison uniform certainly took the edge off the evil genius-schtick, though. "Their consciousness, soul, whatever you want to call it. And their memories are something like the whites."_

_"Go on."_

_"I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but it's impossible to completely separate the yolk and whites. The whites stick to the Psyncer's yolk, their 'ego', if you will. Memories, personality aspects... little crumbs get brought back, even if you don't use the... special feature of the Psync System." Pewter looked around quickly while rushing out that last sentence._

_[He means the body-swapping.] Date murmured to himself._

**_[Yes.]_ ** _affirmed Aiba._

_"Approximately 1% of the subject's whites remain inside the Psyncer. It could be more, depending on a variety of factors. For example, if you psynced the same subject enough times, your own psyche could be entirely rewritten with theirs." Pewter's eyes narrowed, and if Date didn't know better he'd think the man was genuinely concerned for him. "With the Psync System, you can become someone else, both physically AND mentally."_

_Date made a face from back at his desk at ABIS. "I already know this stuff."_

_"But I don't think you've truly thought through the implications, have you?" Pewter smiled simply. Date was overcome by a desire to pummel that sly, smug face in. Maybe it was for the better he hadn't gone to see Pewter in person._

_"Get to the point already."_

_"Tell me, then, how many times you have Psynced?"_

_The question was like a punch to the gut. He had to fight to keep himself from physically reacting. Instead, he stared down the video with his one eye, waiting with bated breath._

_"Let me guess, you don't remember." Pewter sighed. "For every single Psync, that's 1% of your original personality lost. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's essentially it. If I had to guess, you have very little of your original 'self' left inside."_

_"What...?"_

_"Have you been experiencing, say, memories that aren't yours? Or a sudden dislike for something you enjoyed previously? That could be a sign that your psyche is being replaced."_

_[Is he talking about my dreams...?]_

_"Anyway, the main problem with this is." Pewter checked behind him once more. "You have Psynced with the Cylops Killer twice. That means that 2% of your personality is Saito Sejima's."_

_A shiver ran through Date, hearing that name. Saito Sejima had killed everyone important to him, and he was supposed to have the remnants of that psychopath in his brain?_

_Wait._

_Saito didn't kill everyone. Only the original victims and Shoko and Renju._

_Why had he thought differently for a second?_

_"And that's before we get into all the past subjects." Pewter continued. "It_ _may not sound like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, most subjects are either traumatized or suspects of a crime. These are the kind of people you're assimilating with. Allow that to build up too much, and..."_

_Pewter snapped his hand closed with a CRACK, breaking the metaphorical egg._

_"Do I make myself clear?"_

_"Crystal." Date snarled. "Aiba, hang u-"_

_"I'm worried about you, Date." Pewter said suddenly, causing the other two to pause. "And Boss. I would never have hurt you if it wasn't for Ren- who I_ thought _was Renju. I was blinded, and you have my apologies. You may never forgive me, and that's fine."_

_He suddenly grabbed the laptop, staring it down intensely. "But I beg of you, Date... control that 2%. Don't let Saito Sejima turn you into him."_

_"Saito is dead, Pewter. Rohan is dead too. There is no more Cyclops."_

_"-His personality, his dreams and ideals - they live in you, Special Agent. Like a seed, waiting for nourishment to make them grow. Don't lose to him."_

_Date bit his lip with a pained expression. "Pewter..."_

_"That's all I wanted to say. Inspector, I'm done." Pewter called Kagami over with a wave of his hand._

_"Pewter, hold on."_

_"Yes?" The way Pewter's face turned_ _towards the camera from profile was nostalgic, not dissimilar to how he looked when someone interrupted his programming work._

_"Things... haven't been the same at ABIS without you."_

_Pewter looked caught off-guard for a second, then he smiled, sad and ethereal._

_"Yes, I suppose they wouldn't be."_

_The connection cut off._

* * *

Pewter's words from that time rang in Date's mind. He could not allow another tragedy to happen.

 **[Are you planning to Psync with Mizuki?]** Aiba cut in, ever concerned. **[You do realize what you'd have to do to her?]**

[Calm down. I'm not gonna Psync. The opposite, in fact.]

**[What do you mean?]**

"So, Mizuki." Date approached the girl who was now hopping about from foot to foot. "Here's where you come in."

"What do I do?" asked Mizuki.

He stood to the side and gestured towards the machine with one hand. "Destroy it."

"What?" said Mizuki, at exactly the same time Aiba said it in his head.

"C'mon. You brought your pipe, right? Hack it to bits or whatever."

"But why-?" Mizuki tilted her head.

"Are you saying you _don't_ want the opportunity to beat the crap out of something?" Date half-shrugged.

"No, it's just... won't you get in trouble?" Mizuki sounded concerned, but she was already hitting the pipe against her empty palm in anticipation.

**[Disciplinary measures will be taken, Date. I am warning you.]**

"It's not technically property of ABIS. Barely anyone knows this thing even exists." Date sauntered up and rapped his knuckles against the machine. "They didn't want to risk moving it in case it got stolen again, and it's not like Pewter can make it work properly. Y'know, since he's in jail."

"I guess I would sleep easy at night if I knew this thing was gone." Mizuki considered the proposal. "Then nobody can use it like how Saito did."

"Yeah. The one at ABIS is one thing, but I don't like this being out in the open where anyone can stumble upon it." Date sighed, sinking back into the nearest chair. He tried not to think about how this was probably the same chair Saito sat in when he was explaining his masterplan to an incapacitated Date.

 **[I will have to report this to the Boss if you proceed.]** Aiba insisted.

[Go ahead. It's worth getting chewed out if we can get rid of this machine for good.] Once upon a time, Aiba's threat might have made Date break out in a cold sweat, but he'd realized now that there were more important things than being employee-of-the-month in their two-person company. [And if Mizuki is the one to do it, there's no way anyone can ever repair it.]

"Well, if you're sure..." Mizuki smirked.

 **[I suppose there are times when breaking the rules is necessary.]** Aiba sighed. She clambered out of her eye socket in bear-form, making Date wince his empty eye shut. She plopped down onto Date's shoulder, her single eye staring almost fondly at Mizuki.

"Aiba! You came to watch the show too?!" Mizuki beamed, clapping her hands together. "Watch me! I'm gonna give it what for!"

 **"Just be careful not to injure yourself,"** Aiba warned her aloud, waving a translucent paw in surrender.

Mizuki didn't need telling twice, raising the pipe above her head in a graceful arc. It seemed to hover in the air in the split second before the girl sent it thundering down.

CRASH! KLIK! KRUNK!

Date automatically shielded his left eye when mechanical debris came flying off the machine. Aiba simply stood in astonishment as Mizuki got to work.

"HAH! HAIYAAAAH! TAKE THAT!" Mizuki declared with each slam of her weapon, causing components to fall loose and shut down. Even the aesthetic lighting blinked out and went dark.

Again, and again, she hit it. Her pipe went bounced off the side and flew to the other side of the room. This didn't deter Mizuki, who merely went to the chairs and pulled off the Psync visors with her bare hands.

"Hey, Date, look! I think someone's eye is still inside here!" Mizuki said excitedly, flipping around the gear for all to see the lump of gore. "Look, the veins are still attached and everything!"

"I could have happily gone my whole life without seeing that." Date grumbled. "See, look, if I throw up here it'll be your fault."

 **"I have to say, such violence towards machinery is making me feel unwell too,"** cut in the AI.

"I'd never hurt you, Aiba." Mizuki professed with a steely look. "You're my friend!"

 **"..."** Aiba fell silent, but Date could tell she was feeling something.

[She stole your heart too, huh?]

 **[In human terms, you could say something like that.]** The AI replied evasively.

With her affectionate declaration taken care of, Mizuki spun on her heel back to the Psync machine and promptly resumed her assault.

"HYAH! DIE! YOU LIKE THAT?!" Almost maniacal laughter came spilling out of her mouth as she pounded the machine to a pulp. Sweating heavily, she wiped her forehead with the Adorabbit scarf and turned back to Date.

"Hey, if I had your gun, could I make this explode?" She asked, entirely too chipper about it.

"You trying to cause even MORE radiation poisoning in the Kabasaki District?" Date grumbled. "Why do you think this factory's off-limits to begin with?"

The girl's face fell in disappointment. "I guess you're right. If there was another nuclear disaster, Matsushita Diner would be finished for sure, and I'd really miss their omurice."

"Truly, your compassion knows no bounds."

"Aren't you at least going to help me?" Mizuki groaned.

"Nah, I'm too old for this shit." Date said.

"You're a policeman!"

The bickering continued, eventually drowned out by the sounds of destruction and metal clanging. Mizuki stood in a pile of debris and smoldering metal, looking extremely proud of herself.

"Well? How's that?" She grinned. She only ever sounded this happy when she was enacting violence on something.

"You did good, kid." Date ruffled her hair, causing her to squeal and run away in an attempt to avoid the intrusive gesture.

[Aiba, I think we should take Mizuki's teacher up on his suggestion for anger management classes.]

**[I am inclined to agree.]**

Date gathered the machine parts into a bag. Maybe he was being paranoid, but if there was any possibility it could be repaired, he wanted to stop that from happening. The odd little group got back into the car, Aiba jumping into her designated spot in the steering wheel to charge. Date put the bag of metal into the glovebox alongside the bag of flour. With a low hum, the car revved up and set on the path for home.


	2. 限界 (genkAI)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> writing for this fandom is great cause you can go hog fucking wild and nobody bats an eye

"Man, I really need to get some new recruits around here." Boss mused, sitting at the control panel and shoveling a packet of chips into her mouth. Mizuki and Ota were stationed at another computer, tapping away furiously at something unknown. Hearing her words, they both turned to look at her.

"I mean, I wasn't seriously thinking about it," she clarified under their youthful scrutiny. "But being a programmer down is making Psyncing a pain. I have to push Aiba super hard to work it."

"You don't know how to work the machine?" Mizuki asked, her innocent tone far too emotionally scalding.

"No, I don't," Boss replied. "I mostly take care of the official stuff for ABIS, rather than the internal workings. You know what a matryoshka is?"

"Like the one in your office?"

"Yeah. ABIS is like that." The woman waved a hand gracefully before bringing another potato chip to her lips. "On the outside, the face that's shown to the world? That's me."

Mizuki nodded firmly while Ota continued tapping away behind her.

"You open it up and inside, there's a smaller doll. Those are the programmers, closer to the core of our organization. Then, way deep at the bottom, there are the Psyncers. The heart of the whole thing, and top secret."

"So what you're saying is you're a figurehead?" Ota murmured, without looking up. Boss was about to let him have it when the sound of the door signaled a new arrival.

"Hey Boss, guess who's..." Date popped around the corner, trailing off when he saw Mizuki and Ota stationed in their seats. Everyone was quiet for a moment, fixing him with a judgemental stare. "...back?"

**[...]**

[...]

"Well, you know what they say about gazing into the ABIS..." Date added on the fly, prompting a ribbing from Aiba.

 **[What do they say? Why don't you tell everyone _exactly_ what they say about that?] **The AI dared.

[...I'm sorry.]

"So, Date. I heard a little something about a commotion in the Kabasaki District last night," Boss said as she got up, her voice dangerously sweet. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"I-" Date's protest was interrupted by Boss slamming both her hands on the desk before seemingly relaxing.

"Oh come on, we both know I know it was you." Boss leaned back, her demeanor switching from threatening to casual in the blink of an eye. "At least, it better have been, because if it wasn't that's a whole other kettle of worms."

"That's... not how the saying goes..." Ota piped up nervously, more to himself than Boss. She waved him off and continued.

"As your boss, I have to punish you. Destroying classified government machines would normally be enough to get you a stint behind bars."

Date raised his hands with a smile. "I didn't destroy a thing. Isn't that right, Mizuki?"

Mizuki shot up from her seat with a vengeance. Her elbow bashed against the computer in her hurry, making it short out in the process.

"No...! My light novel manuscript...!" Ota let out a soft whine of despair and buried his face in the keyboard.

"Date, you asshole! You're the one that told me to do it!" Mizuki barked.

"Sorry, kid. You played yourself." Date gave what could only be described as a shit-eating grin, along with that smug glint in his eyes that made Mizuki want to throw a table at him. "I didn't destroy a thing."

Boss narrowed her eyes.

"Really, I mean it. It's just a fortunate coincidence that a troubled youth resorted to vandalism, conveniently destroying the root of all evil."

"Date, get your sorry butt over here!" Mizuki yelled across the room. "I'm gonna disembowel you and spread your guts on my morning toast!"

Boss muffled a laugh with her hand, an undisguised fondness creeping into her expression. "You've certainly become more conniving now your memories are back."

"You can't punish a little kid for following instructions given by a trusted authority figure." Date challenged. "At the very least, you wouldn't do that to Mizuki."

"YOU ARE NEITHER TRUSTED NOR AUTHORATIVE." Mizuki made sure to get her two cents in.

Ota shrank back as if trying to enter the void of the laptop screen. "Not gonna lie, I kinda wanna go home."

Aiba widened, bemused. **[Date, did you plan this from the start?]**

Date walked up to the control panel and also slammed his hands on it, looking Boss in the eyes. "We did what we had to, Shizue. You wanted that machine gone as much as anyone."

"You're not wrong, but..." Boss began, failing to hide her surprise that he actually remembered her name. She couldn't remember telling him - not recently, at least.

"Can you guys stop hitting the desks, by the way?" Ota complained. "You're not attorneys from some game."

"Excuse you, I can spank this hard wood much as I want." Boss retorted.

"Is it too late to resign?" Date wondered aloud.

**[That desk isn't even made of wood.]**

Boss sighed dramatically, her palm hitting her forehead as if drawn by some magnetic pull. "God... it's way too easy to lapse into banter with all of you here. I'm supposed to be mad at you."

"Yeah, actually," Date gestured to Ota and Mizuki with a jerk of his head, "Why _are_ they here?"

"I told them to come. Just... as insurance." She gave an unsettling smirk. "In case you were thinking about making a run for it after your stunt last night."

"We're her hostages." Ota said simply.

"But she helped me with my homework." Mizuki added with a smile.

"...I can't believe this." Date sighed. "Is Iris here too?"

Mizuki shook her head. "She said she had something to do today."

Ota groaned and hit his head off the table.

"What's with you?" Date asked.

"Tesa is kind of... just a teensy bit avoiding me." Ota gestured with his hand to show just how teensy it was.

"Either she's avoiding you or not, which is it?"

"..." Ota's bitter face told them all they needed to know.

Mizuki pouted. "Did you do something weird to her, Ota? I won't forgive you if you hurt Iris!"

"N-No, I j-just, u-um," Ota started shaking like a leaf.

At that moment, Boss's phone started ringing.

She checked the number and cursed under her breath. "You kids are free to go now, anyhow. Today's guest just arrived and I need Date to-"

"Let me guess-"

"Psync with him." Boss folded her arms.

"...Yeah, knew that was coming." Date sighed. "Is this the guy who killed his brother in an alleyway or the guy who held a poodle for ransom?"

"The poodle guy. No, Date, of course we're looking into the murder." She shot a deadly glance over her shoulder and flounced out of the control room.

"Can I stay and watch the Psync?" Mizuki chimed in from where she was sitting, immediately helping herself to the remainder of Boss's potato chips.

"What do you wanna do that for?" Date frowned.

"I'm curious. Boss told me you can watch it on the monitors." Mizuki turned to Ota. "You wanna see it too, right?"

"Uh... I guess? It could be good inspiration for my novels..." Ota pushed his cap out of his eyes, exposing his doubtful expression to the world.

"Right, so can we?" Mizuki waved her fists excitedly.

 **[I don't think that is a good idea.]** Aiba said internally.

[Yeah, me neither.]

"No. Go do your homework somewhere else." Date said.

"Why not?!" Mizuki demanded.

"I can't guarantee what'll happen once I'm in this guy's Somnium." Date huffed. "I don't want to expose you to anything too messed up."

"Really? You're gonna pull that card after what happened?" Mizuki retorted. "What is there left that I _haven't_ been exposed to?"

"She's got a point." Ota added.

"Shut it, Ota." Mizuki and Date snapped simultaneously.

 **[Even when they are at odds with one another, they're in perfect sync.]** Aiba thought idly.

"Don't you mean perfect Psync?" Date couldn't help himself.

"Huh?" Mizuki asked.

"Sorry. Inside joke."

[As in, inside my head.]

**[Yes, I got it. Smooth recovery, Date.]**

[Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all night.]

Boss re-entered the room, looking tired already. At the same time, a group of policemen could be seen in the Psync Room, placing the subject in one of the chairs.

[Huh. I've never actually seen them do that before. They're usually already hooked up to the Psync by the time I get here.]

**[Did you think they magically teleported there or something?]**

"You remember the briefing, right? Or do you need a refresher?" Boss asked.

 **[The subject is Kei Shiraishi.]** Aiba added helpfully. **[Male. 32. Unemployed. He is currently the prime suspect in the murder of his brother, Rin Shiraishi. However, he refuses to divulge anything, thus the Psync. Our goal is to bring his buried memories up to the surface and determine what happened.]**

"A murder, huh..." Mizuki murmured. Ota shot her a sympathetic glance.

"Well, Aiba and I are gonna go before his sedatives wear off." Date made his way over to the metal door. "Boss, if things get too dark in there, don't let Mizuki watch it.."

"Gotcha." The boss winked far too casually, but Date knew her long enough to know that she'd taken his request seriously.

"Hey, Date?" Ota called. "Good luck in there."

"Y-Yeah! You better not mess it up this time!" Mizuki jeered (out of concern).

"It'll be fine." Date waved before heading off to the Psync Machine. "We have a new function in case anything goes awry."

Mizuki watched idly as she continued with her homework, eyes flickering from her worksheet to the scene in the room below. A loud thwump signaled the Boss sinking down in the chair next to her. With Ota on her left side and Boss on her right, a memory came to her.

She used to sit just like this, firmly stationed between her Mom and Daddy, and they'd watch movies on the sofa. Those nights had been sacred to Mizuki, but as time went on, Mom would get upset and refuse to sit with Daddy. She'd yell at him over Mizuki's head, causing Mizuki to shrink down and pretend she wasn't there until it was over.

Mizuki stopped bugging her parents for family movie nights after that.

Boss gently nudged her in the side with her elbow, jarring her out of her thoughts. "Are you worried?"

"I guess," Mizuki replied, watching Date get into the other chair of the machine and fix on the visor.

"Don't be. Aiba and I finally finished a little something we were working on." The older woman smiled enigmatically, tilting her head to the side. "As of now, it's possible to terminate a Psync from inside a Somnium. Before, only those on the outside could shut the system down."

"That sounds dangerous." Ota couldn't help butting in.

"It _was_ dangerous. We didn't take security nearly as seriously as we should've," Boss sighed theatrically. "We created a machine with abilities we couldn't possibly understand, and took it for granted." Something close to regret flashed across her face, although how much of that was genuine, Mizuki couldn't tell. "The incident with Saito was one hell of a wake-up call, though. Sucks that it had to come to that for me to realize it."

"ABIS is pretty corrupt, isn't it?" Mizuki stated casually as she chomped a chip. Boss couldn't help but giggle at how blasé she was about it.

"Super-duper corrupt. So I've devoted myself to making sure this technology is never exploited again. ABIS was supposed to help people. Somewhere along the way, I guess I forgot that." Boss murmured.

"Hey, what's the hold-up?" Date's voice came from behind the glass, still lying still in the machine.

"Oh. Sorry. I got distracted." Boss waved a hand, her other dancing across the keyboard to start the process. "You ready?"

"Have been for the last five minutes, yeah."

"You remember the rule, Date?"

"Always."

"And if things get too close in there, don't be afraid to use the new exit strategy. If you need to terminate the Psync, say the safe word, 'awaken', and the system will shut down from the inside."

"Got it."

The machine clinked to life, and the monitor did the same.

* * *

"Hiyaaah!"

Aiba dove across the room, materializing out of nowhere, only to crash face-first into the wall.

"Ow. I shouldn't have done that." She muttered to herself.

"Where is this?" Date ignored her plight as Aiba looked at her surroundings, rubbing her forehead all the while.

"A completely ordinary bedroom. Probably the subject's." Aiba walked up to the door and gave it an experimental push. "It won't open."

Aiba scanned the Somnium to see what she could find, as she always did. "Hm. There's a bed and a computer, but not much else."

"Try turning on the computer?" suggested Date. Aiba walked over to it and pressed the power button. A video of a cartoon llama running through a field started playing.

"Uhh, what the hell is this?"

"...Unknown..." Aiba said, transfixed, as the video started looping. "...But it doesn't seem to be related to anything. Let's move on."

Next, they tried a variety of things. Boss and Mizuki watched from outside, bemused, as Aiba jumped violently up and down on the bed. When that yielded no results, Date told Aiba to search under it.

"Maybe we'll find some porn." Date commented.

"I hope not." Aiba rolled her eyes as she crouched down to peek under the bed. She immediately gasped in amazement at what she saw. It was a miniature replica of Ikume shrine, complete with a little clay figure walking around the garden. "Oh, this is so cute!"

"Wonder what this means."

"I do not know. Perhaps our subject is a particularly devout man." Aiba shrugged. "What should I do?"

Date thought about it before coming to a satisfactory conclusion. "Try squishing it."

"Squishing what, exactly." Aiba deadpanned, staring blankly at the heavens.

"The clay guy. Just, squish squish. C'mon, it'll be funny." replied Date.

"How cruel!" Aiba exclaimed, "What if he has a clay family? A clay wife, and clay children, and a clay dog?!"

"Squish them too?"

"You are the absolute worst." Aiba said, but she still did as told anyway.

* * *

Mizuki watched the screen, bored, tapping her pencil. Did Date really get paid to mess around like this all day? Maybe she should become a Psyncer too. She'd probably be better at it.

"Mizuki, want to do the honors?" Boss smiled and pointed at the microphone on her desk.

"Huh? What do I do?" asked a flustered Mizuki.

"Just tell them there's four minutes left."

Mizuki cleared her throat, strangely nervous for some reason. She leaned into the mic.

"HEY! THERE'S FOUR MINUTES LEFT, STUPID!" She shouted. The microphone feedback let out a high-pitched whine, making Boss and Ota wince. She could see Aiba startle from inside the Somnium, and the screen turned to black once more.

Mizuki turned soundlessly to stare at Boss. "D-Did I... did I break it?"

Boss narrowed her eyes, peering deeper at the screen. "Systems are fine. I think the dream's just fluctuating a bit."

"Fluctuating... dreams?"

"People's minds aren't static, you know? Their psyches react and change. They're malleable, like that clay."

A loud sound interrupted, and the trio's heads snapped to look at the monitor. Aiba was repeatedly smacking the computer with a desk lamp she just found, to no apparent effect.

"So... sometimes stuff like this happens." Boss trailed off vaguely, finally at a point where she could not rationalize Date/Aiba's behavior.

They watched them mess around for a little more, Boss tactfully taking over microphone duty after Mizuki's last miserable attempt. After a while, an racket exploded forth from Ota's phone, blasting out a chiptune version of Invincible Rainbow Arrow.

"Ah, that's my part-time job." Ota said apologetically, shutting it off. "I set an alarm so I don't forget to go."

"I thought Lemniscate was your part-time job," commented Mizuki.

"No, that's my _other_ part-time job. This is the cashier job. But don't worry, Mizuki!" Ota gave her a quick thumbs up. "After that, I just have to go to my job delivering pizza and I'm done for the night, and then I can work on my novel."

"At that rate, you'd be better off getting a full-time job." Boss raised an eyebrow.

"It's fine, it's fine. Mizuki was kind enough to hire me as a janitor at her company, so I don't want to let her down. When a girl needs you, you have to be there!" Ota declared with a fist grab.

"I don't need you. It's more pity and nepotism." Mizuki said cooly.

"...Ouch."

"Well, don't waste time talking to us. Go earn your keep, Ota," Boss gave him a kind smile and he almost fell over.

"YES MA'AM!" He cried and bolted out of the room, throwing open the metal door with gusto. The girls stared at the empty space where he'd been before laughing to themselves.

Boss tilted her arm to check her watch, and leaned into the mic to make another time announcement, but the words died in her mouth as the scene on the monitor sank in.

Aiba was staring up at a wall, now covered in posters where there had been none before. She looked at a piece of paper she was holding and back to the wall. She was talking to Date, but their voices were quiet. Hushed. They didn't want to be heard.

_"...that's what it says... what should we...?"_

_"...terminate the Psync, now..."_

Only bits of their conversation could be picked out. Boss strained so hard to hear them that she almost didn't register the scene that was presented on the screen.

"Awaken! I said awaken!" Date shouted, louder. His frantic yell startled Mizuki, who'd returned to doing her homework. The last time she'd heard such raw fear and desperation in his voice was back when he was in Saito's body. She turned to look at Boss, terrified for a second that something had gone wrong, about to demand an explanation.

"Awa-" The voice was cut off, and from the corner of her eye, Mizuki saw Date stir in the Psync Machine. He pulled the visor off his face and drunkenly stumbled out of the Psync Room. She didn't notice Boss leaning over behind her to press the computer's power button. A thick silence permeated the room as Mizuki waited for Date to arrive and explain what the hell was happening.

The door opened and he came in, immediately approaching Mizuki.

"It is you, right?" Mizuki asked, heart thumping in her throat. Date nodded, understanding the need for confirmation.

"Yeah. Mizuki, did you see?" He said, uncharacteristically serious.

"See what?" asked Mizuki.

Date let a sigh of relief. "Nothing, don't worry."

"Well now I'm really worried!" Mizuki exclaimed, folding her arms. "What's going on?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Boss said, clearing her throat loudly. "When I told you about the new 'ejector seat' feature of the Psync System, I wasn't inviting you to take it for a spin immediately afterwards. Did I not stress enough that it was an _emergency_ shutdown command?"

"It _was_ an emergency."

Boss stared at him with a dead look in her eyes.

"...Of sorts..." Date trailed off, withering under her intense gaze. Mizuki kept looking between them, utterly lost. Boss turned to look at her, opening her mouth like she was about to say something, but thought better of it. Mizuki could practically see her rearranging her thoughts like jigsaw pieces. When the woman finally spoke, her speech was strained and heavily filtered.

"What exactly is your definition of 'an emergency?' Because it seems like it very much differs from mine."

 _They're holding back because I'm here,_ Mizuki realized. Being treated like a kid ticked her off a little, even though she knew she was one. Begrudgingly, she threw the adults a bone.

"I'm just gonna go. I can't concentrate with all this going on." She said, already stuffing her things back into her (new, junior-high) backpack. Boss at least had the decency to look slightly guilty.

"I'll get security to drive you back," she offered. Mizuki wanted to be huffy and decline, but Boss looked like she might snap any minute, so she nodded reluctantly and allowed herself to be escorted six stories up by a bunch of rough-looking policemen.

* * *

Not 30 minutes later, Mizuki was dropped off at the Sagan Household. A confused but well-intentioned Iris opened the door, understandably confused by the brigade of cops accompanying a sixth-grade girl.

"Hi, Mizuki!" Iris immediately wrapped her friend in a crushing hug. "What brings you here? And, uh, those guys?"

"Holy shit, is that Tesa?" One of the policemen mumbled quietly to himself.

"I convinced them to take me here from ABIS. I didn't feel like going home." Mizuki shrugged, before turning to her makeshift army. "Thanks, you guys can go now."

The group left, but not before Iris gave them some pre-written autographs with a smile. She thanked them for taking care of Mizuki and sent them on their way.

"Come on in," Iris gestured to the door, suddenly cognizant of Mizuki's ability to show up anywhere and make the place feel like her own property. Well, Iris didn't have anything to do today anyway, so she figured she'd hear Mizuki out. Maybe they could game a little and take their minds off their troubles.

Her mother turned around from the kitchen, where she was making dinner. Her face lit up in a smile when she saw their guest.

"Hello, Mizuki," Hitomi said sweetly. "Have you come to play with Iris?"

"Yes, Miss Hitomi!" Mizuki was instantly cheered up by her teacher's comforting presence.

"Hehehe. You two sure get along great." Iris piped up, setting up her computer. "Oh, by the way, I started a new game the other day."

"You've moved on from ShovelForge?" Mizuki asked as she clambered onto the sofa next to Iris.

"It's kinda like ShovelForge, it's called RoadBlocks. I'm still streaming both, though!" Iris gave an unnecessary peace sign to punctuate her sentence.

Mizuki smiled down at her hands, which was kind of weird now she thought about it. "I'm glad you're doing well. I was worried that maybe you were mad at me."

"Huh?! Why would I be?" Iris cocked her head, innocent blue eyes widening.

"Since you're always avoiding meeting with us, and you're always busy..."

"That's just part of being an idol!" Iris exclaimed. "There's no way I could hate you, Mizuki. Not even in a parallel universe! Not even once in a thousand parallel universes!"

"That's good... so it wasn't something Ota did?" Mizuki asked.

Iris faltered, but her cheerful grin was soon plastered back on her face. "No, I just... think the two of us need some space. Y'know, evaluate ourselves and all that."

"Don't give me that all of a sudden, you two were inseperable up till recently." Mizuki looked doubtful. "I thought at least _you_ wouldn't hide things from me, Iris."

Iris took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Mizuki. I didn't mean it like that. The truth is, the two of us are having some issues, and I didn't want to drag you into it. This is something Ota and I need to sort out ourselves."

Mizuki nodded, suddenly feeling terrible. Who was she to barge into Iris's house and interrogate her? Some friend she was.

"Sorry, Iris." She said bashfully. "I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay," Iris smiled, twirling her laptop screen so Mizuki could see. "I know you're trying to help. But honestly, I think what we both need right now is a little escapism! Here, I'll show you how to play RoadBlocks..."

* * *

A few hours later, Hitomi approached them and started to lay dinner out on the coffee table. Iris, sensing her mother's dilemma, went to get the other two plates and put them down beside the first.

There were three plates. She'd made a meal for Mizuki, even though she'd dropped by uninvited...

Even though cooking with one arm was surely difficult, she'd went to all that trouble...

Mizuki looked up at her teacher, touched. "Miss Hitomi, you didn't have to..."

"Oh, it's no trouble," Hitomi said. "You don't have to eat it, but I thought since it was getting pretty late..."

"N-No, I'll eat it! It looks good!" Mizuki swiftly interrupted, clapping her hands together. The other two joined her, and they gave thanks for the food in an echo.

She happily ate the food prepared for her, pushing down the slight guilt she harbored for imposing so on the Sagans. As expected, Hitomi's cooking was wonderful. Way better than anything Date could make. _I should get her to teach him,_ Mizuki thought.

After dinner, she helped the Sagans wash the dishes. It was the least she could do.

"It's getting dark, Mizuki." Hitomi murmured. "I feel bad that I can't drive you home. Is someone coming to pick you up?"

Mizuki nodded. She knew what that meant. Because Hitomi's 'someone' wasn't just anyone. Hitomi's someone was Date. She wanted to see him.

Aiba's rushed explanation on the way to the factory plant was a lot to take in. At the time, there were more pressing issues to think about, but Iris filled her in later. Date, who was the assassin Falco at the time, was dating Miss Hitomi.

Mizuki didn't know what things were like with them now, but the two had gotten super awkward around each other when the truth first came to light. Iris was always needling Date about it, asking when he was going to clear the air with Hitomi, but he never gave much of an answer.

Iris had talked to Mizuki about it, once.

* * *

_"Hey, what would you think if my mom and Uncle got together?" she asked one day during a round of Shovelforge._

_"Why are you asking me?" Mizuki replied._

_"Well, because you and Uncle live together! It'd affect you too." Iris pointed out. "Like, what if they wanted to move in together?"_

_"You're jumping the gun a bit there." Mizuki raised an eyebrow._

_"Just hypothetically! What would you think?" Iris insisted._

_"Uh..." Mizuki tried to figure out how she would feel. "Good for them, I guess? I dunno what she sees in him though."_

_"You wouldn't have a problem with it?"_

_"No, I guess not." Mizuki eventually decided. "Besides, I like your mom and you. If it meant seeing more of you guys I'm all for it. Plus, someone needs to keep the weirdo in line."_

_Iris giggled, her expression turning to one of joy. "That's great! I want to see my mom as happy as she was back then. And if your adopted father and my mother get together, then won't it be kinda like we're sisters?"_

_"Sisters... I like the sound of that." Mizuki said, one of her rare smiles lighting up the room._

* * *

Mizuki hadn't actually told Date to come pick her up, though. She was still kind of mad at him about the Psync from earlier. Something had definitely gone wrong, and as usual whenever anything happened, he underestimated her and brushed her off. Sure, there was probably a good reason, but it was so annoying!

She checked her phone only to be surprised at the number of notifications, each one paired with a childish nickname for the contact in question. One text from Otaku. One from Boss Lady. Five missed calls and several messages from Perverted Idiot.

Wow, that was a lot from him. Now he suddenly cared?

《I'm at home. Where are you?》

A few minutes later, he'd sent a new message.

《Are you mad at me again?》

An hour later, another.

《Mizuki, pick up your damn phone.》

 _Sheesh, talk about irritating._ Mizuki quickly shot back a reply.

《I'm at Iris's place, it's not like that's unusual. What're you freaking out for?》

《Ok. Do you want me to come get you?》

《I guess.》

Maybe Iris would confide in him if he came over. It felt like everyone was keeping secrets all of a sudden. Date was acting paranoid, Boss was secretive as usual, even Iris and Ota were locking her out of the loop.

Speaking of Iris, the girl was looking at her questioningly.

"Everything ok, Mizuki?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

And there was that hypocrisy again. Mizuki had no room to judge.

* * *

Meanwhile, as usual, there was many a heated insult being thrown around inside Date's car as he and Aiba drove down the highway. Well, Aiba wasn't actually _there,_ just projecting an image into the passenger seat.

"I can't believe this." Date said for the millionth time that afternoon. Aiba ignored him, electing instead to watch the road rush past through the window. She couldn't feel the breeze, but she liked having it down anyway.

"Unpaid leave. Unbelievable." Date muttered quietly as if in a trance.

**[Considering your reckless behaviour last night, is it really that hard to accept? At least she didn't fire you outright.]**

"I haven't taken leave in six years, Aiba. Six years." He enunciated, his features still stuck in a state of shock.

**[Don't say that like it's something to be proud of.]**

"What am I supposed to do?"

 **[Calm down.]** Aiba said. **[It's only a week's vacation. I would have thought you would be happy.]**

"Aiba, there is a murder case going on right now," Date spat, "We can't leave things be-"

A sudden jolt of electricity cut him off, making him bang his head off the steering wheel. For a second panic seized him as he prepared to slam the brakes, only to realize the car had barely veered off-course.

"Aiba! What the hell was that?!"

 **[Your favourite, the paralyzing electric shock.]** Aiba was curled up on the seat with a smile, not looking even slightly remorseful for her attack.

"Don't do that while I'm driving!" Date yelled. "Actually, don't do it at all!"

**[It's okay. We were going straight. My calculations guaranteed that we would not crash.]**

"Just don't do it!"

**[I see it worked.]**

"What do you mean it worked?"

 **[You're out of your stupor now.]** Aiba gave a meaningful glance.

"..." vexed by her carefree attitude, Date turned his head back to face the road.

**[The Boss was right to do what she did, Date. Destroying the prototype, forcing an emergency shutdown... you're in no state to Psync.]**

"Would you say I'm in no _mind_ to Psync?"

**[No puns! I am trying to have a serious conversation with you!]**

"Sorry, I couldn't stop myself."

**[What I was trying to say was that a vacation will do you good. Because you were so focused on work, you did not have time to process the deaths of Shoko and Renju. Not to mention the incident with Saito. On top of all that, when your memory returned, you regained years of forgotten trauma. The Psync from earlier reminded you of all that, am I correct?]**

Aiba paused when she finished, squinting at Date, trying to tell if he was still listening. He didn't look at her or say anything, so she continued.

**[I understand that working gives you a sense of normalcy. But people have mental and physical limits, both of which you breached a long time ago.]**

"What would an AI know about limits? You can do anything you want. Figure out anything you want in a heartbeat." Date replied, trying and failing not to sound bitter.

 **[Even I need to... _recharge_ once in a while.] **Aiba pointed at the steering wheel with a smug smirk.

"I thought you said no puns." Date smirked to himself.

 **[Yes, well. I've said what I wanted to say. Also, we've arrived.]** She noted. Her virtual form disappeared into a mass of shimmering pixels.

[Seriously, it's weird when you do that.] Date thought before parking the car and walking to the door. [Hey, Aiba, do I look all right? No crumbs on my face or anything?]

**[You look the same as usual. Why?]**

[No reason,] He mentally replied before knocking on the door. It didn't take long for it to open, and there inside stood Hitomi. Behind her, Iris and Mizuki could be seen chatting away. Date was glad to see Mizuki being normal. She must not have seen what happened in the Psync after all.

"Hi," said Hitomi shyly. "I'm so sorry, you've just missed dinner. I-I can make you something else if you're hungry..."

"Thanks, but there's no need. I ate already," Date lied. Truth be told, he wanted nothing more than to enjoy one of Hitomi's home-cooked meals, but he wasn't gonna force a woman with only one working hand to overexert herself for the sake of his fantasy.

"Come in for a cup of tea, then. I insist." Hitomi smiled. "It's no trouble."

Iris skipped over to her mother's side, grabbing Date and pulling him inside. "C'mon, Uncle! We've all got so much to talk about! Oh, why don't you play RoadBlocks with Mizuki and me?"

"Play what now?" Date had an awkward smile on his face as the Sagans ushered him indoors.

 **[It appears Iris has a new hyperfixation.]** Aiba chimed in.

[I'll honestly take anything over ShovelForge.]

Mizuki was glowering in Date's direction. When she realized he was looking at her, she stuck her tongue out.

"Mizuki, let's talk later." He continued unperturbed, although he did hush his voice a little.

"Yeah. Okay." Recognising the serious note in her guardian's voice, Mizuki dropped the false hostility. Hitomi returned to the center of the room with tea for everyone. Date knew Mizuki didn't like tea, and took some childish amusement in watching her try to drink it with a poker face.

Iris sipped at her new mug - rainbow-patterned, obviously. Seeing everybody sitting awkwardly on the sofa, she effortlessly broke the silence with a cheery observation.

"Mom, you're wearing makeup today. What's the occasion?" She said with a beam.

Mizuki and Date both fixed their eyes on Hitomi's face instantly. Mizuki was pretty sure she hadn't been wearing makeup earlier, but there she was with blusher and... was that a subtle bit of lip gloss?

"Oh, don't stare so close, it's embarrassing." Hitomi laughed, covering her face with her hands. "I'm not really the glamorous type, so it must look silly on a homely woman like me."

"N-No, it looks great! You look gorgeous, Miss Hitomi!" Mizuki exclaimed. "She really does, right Date?"

"Uh..." Date blanked from Mizuki's sudden fastball. "Yeah, I, uh... It looks good. Suits you."

"Is that all you have to say?" Iris pouted, equal parts indignant and disappointed. "My mom's the most beautiful woman in the world!"

Hitomi was beet red by this point, and it wasn't the blusher. "Stop, stop, you're all too kind. I didn't mean to make this a big deal or anything..."

"It's okay! I'll do your makeup!" Iris said excitedly, eyes shining. "In fact, maybe we should all do each other's!"

"Mizuki's too young for that stuff." Date said flippantly.

"And you're too old to be alive, but do you see me talking about it?' Mizuki shot back.

Date gave the others an incredulous 'you-see-what-I-put-up-with?' look.

"Mizuki, don't be mean. And Uncle, it's just makeup. It's just a bit of girly fun." Iris as usual served as mediator between the two.

"Okay. But if anyone hits on Mizuki, I'm arresting them."

 **[At least you didn't go straight to murder this time.]** Aiba said.

Hitomi watched the proceedings with amused eyes. Date suddenly felt guilty, even though he was acting how he normally did. He gestured for her to come over to the kitchen side so they could have a private word.

"Sorry for coming to your place and kicking up a fuss with Mizuki." he offered.

"Not at all, it's a relief to see her being as much of a firecracker as ever." Hitomi smiled. She was smiling a lot today. Actually, maybe she was smiling as much as she usually did but now with all the make-up and lipgloss, Date found himself noticing it more. "I still remember when she was in my class, she had these... silent periods, when she'd stare into space and not speak to anyone."

"Like when she had aphonia?"

"Not exactly. How can I put it... it's like she was trapped in her own head. Even if I touched her or talked to her, she barely registered anything. I was so worried." Sadness slipped into Hitomi's expression for a second. She straightened her back and shook her head. "Well, she was mostly still this kind, polite girl we come to love. She had her ups and downs, like all kids."

"Yeah." Date nodded. "But... polite?"

"Oh, Date," Hitomi giggled. "She's nice to everyone but you."

**[My. Even Hitomi is laughing at your expense now.]**

[Shut it.]

"Yeah, I'm starting to see that." Date looked back over to Iris and Mizuki.

"It's a good thing. She's such a sweet, gentle girl, always being considerate of others." Hitomi said, brushing her right shoulder with a wistful expression. "With you, she's totally comfortable. Enough not to hold back. When she lived with Shoko and Renju, she was always going above and beyond not to offend anyone. You give her the chance to be an ordinary, bratty 12-year-old after so long restraining herself. You two have something really special, I think."

"I've... never thought of it that way before." Date mumbled, taken aback.

**[Did you really just think, 'We could have something really special as well'?]**

"Stay out of my thoughts!"

"Huh?" Hitomi asked.

"N-Not you! I was talking to my eye." Date said, digging himself deeper.

"Oh, right. Your, uh..." Hitomi gestured to her own eye. "AI partner. Aiba, was it?"

"Yeah," Date smiled. "She's a real piece of work."

**[Should I come out and introduce myself?]**

"No! No, absolutely not."

Hitomi looked confused.

"That was her again." Date insisted. "She... wants to meet you."

"Oh! Well, I would love to meet her too!" Hitomi, being the precious angel that she was, had a warm grin. "We owe a lot to her."

"Uh, maybe later. It's getting late," Date said quietly.

**[You never let me out.]**

[It's embarrassing when you pop out like that!]

"Yes." Hitomi nodded, understanding but still a little let down. "Mizuki, it's time for you to go home."

"Coming!" Mizuki's voice echoed from somewhere. When she returned to the door, she had her jacket and rucksack on. "I'm ready, Date."

"Okay, kiddo. Let's hit the road." Date and Mizuki waved to the Sagans before stepping outside. The warm atmosphere instantly disappeared. Date couldn't help wishing that they'd spare some good vibes for him and Mizuki. The events of the afternoon hovered in the air between them as they got into the car.

After a while, Mizuki piped up, her voice barely audible over the roar of the engine.

"Hey, Date?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk about it?"

His left eye turned to look at Mizuki while he was facing the road. Before, she'd always commented about how creepy that was. Now, though, knowing it was Aiba's compassionate gaze, she was comforted a little.

"I mean, if I'm gonna be your daughter, we at least have to be able to trust each other."

Date gave a start; maybe he hadn't been expecting to hear that. Mizuki regretted saying it already and quickly tried to move on.

"It was my fault, wasn't it? The Psync earlier. Because I was there, something bad happened, right?"

"That's not true." Date urged.

"Then what happened?"

Date was silent for a long while. Then he took a deep breath.

"I'll tell you when we get back, okay?"

Mizuki was surprised. She wasn't expecting him to fold so easily. Maybe it was something Aiba said. Or maybe it was just the Sagans and their endless exuberance.

She reached out a hand across the gap between their seats.

"What're you doing?"

"You have to pinky promise that you'll talk to me. No forgetting, or falling asleep the minute you're inside. Okay?"

She gave him a Look, somewhere between serious and pleading. Date sighed and rolled his eyes, but when the next red light came up, he intertwined their pinky fingers anyway.

"Pinky promise."

"Yeah!"


	3. 天手古舞 (tentekomAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! thanks for the support on this fic! i'm honestly kind of a slow writer, plus im trying to write longer chapters for this than my usual, so thank you for your patience ^^

Mizuki took a sip from her glass of water, reclining on the sofa (or more accurately, Date's bed.) She didn't really feel thirsty, but if her mouth was free, she'd feel obliged to say something. Needless to say, things between Date and Mizuki had been awkward since that afternoon. They'd promised to talk it over, but she didn't want to be annoying by bugging him about it. So instead she waited as Date took his coat and bag off.

Date met her eyes, probably thinking the same things as her. "Let's get changed first, okay? Then we can just... sit on the sofa and talk about everything at our leisure."

Procrastinating, huh? Mizuki couldn't begrudge him that. She changed into her pyjamas while Date was sentenced to the bathroom to do the same. Mizuki took some ice cream out of the freezer while she was waiting for Date - she could use the comfort food. She shoveled it in at first, only for the cold to scrape against her sensitive teeth. Eurgh. Maybe there was a reason she hadn't eaten this ice cream before.

"Don't eat so fast, you'll choke." Date commented as he re-entered the living room.

"On ice cream?" Mizuki asked, doubtful.

"Stranger things have happened." Date shrugged and sat down on the other end of the sofa.

Date looked at Mizuki. Mizuki looked at Date.

"So-"

They both started speaking at the same time, only to cut themselves off.

"You first!" Mizuki said, flustered.

"Nuh-uh, ladies first."

**[Date...]**

Aiba's disparaging voice was more than enough to change Date's tune.

"...Just kidding."

"That's not funny." Mizuki mumbled, kicking her feet off the ground.

"But Mizuki, I have to ask. Are you sure you want to know about what happened today?" Date looked surprisingly serious. It worried Mizuki a little, but she nodded fervently.

"What kind of question is that? Obviously I do, or it's gonna bug me forever!" Mizuki cried out. "What exactly happened in the Psync Room today, Date?!"

Date sighed. "Honestly, I don't really wanna tell you, but... I don't wanna lie to you either, Mizuki. I'm done with all of that. But... where do I even start?"

 **"At the beginning."** Aiba hopped out of Date's eye all of a sudden, landing on the sofa space between them. Mizuki was beginning to get used to this, but it didn't make it any less weird.

"So... I went to the Psync Room," Date began, obviously stalling. "And Aiba and I went into Kei Shiraishi's Somnium."

"I know that much." Mizuki said.

"How much did you see?"

"When the llama video started looping, I kinda zoned out," she admitted. "I went back to my homework a while after. Next thing I knew, I heard you shouting, and then it was over."

"Okay." Date sighed once more. Aiba jumped into Mizuki's cupped hands like some kind of jellied hamster. "So, before I get into all that, I need to ask you something. Do you know the True Crime Community, Mizuki?"

"Umm..." Mizuki brought her index finger to her cheek, thoughtful. "I think Ota may have mentioned something like that..."

 **"They are an online community dedicated to criminals and their psychology."** Aiba explained. **"U** **sually serial killers or perpetrators of mass murder. A fair number of them even idolize or support these killers, obsessing over them to an unhealthy extent."**

"I get it... but what relation does this have to what happened today?"

"Kei Shiraishi was very interested in that kind of stuff." Date took a spoonful of Mizuki's ice cream. She decided to let it slide for now. "Doesn't look too good for a murder suspect, right?"

 **"It does not necessarily mean he is guilty."** Aiba reminded while being pet by an absent-minded Mizuki.

"So we were progressing through the Somnium like normal, when the dream changed. Fluctuated, I guess." Date continued. "And all these posters on the wall appeared. Every single one of them was of a corpse - a victim of a serial killer. The really sensationalized cases, you know. Some you've probably heard of at school. And there were even killers from cases I've worked on."

"The Cyclops Killer," Mizuki whispered, understanding instantly.

"Yes." Date said gravely. "There was... a picture of your mother. On the merry-go-round."

Mizuki fell silent. She took another spoonful of ice cream.

"I don't know if telling you was the right thing to do." Date rambled on. "I wanted to protect you, but by being secretive, I ended up driving a wedge between us. You deserve the truth, even if it's painful."

The spoon clanged against the side of the bowl. Mizuki's voice was low and quiet in comparison.

"That's why you didn't tell me? Because you thought I was weak?"

"When did I say you were weak?" Date frowned.

Mizuki turned to face him, hurt in her expression. "You thought I couldn't handle it. That's why you quit the Psync, isn't it?! I already saw my mom dead, Date! I can deal with it!"

"You shouldn't have to deal with it!" Date raised his voice. "You're _twelve,_ Mizuki! Forcing yourself to confront horrific things isn't the same as getting over it. Torturing yourself with the past isn't going to make you 'strong'."

"But now, because of me, you got in trouble! You put your career in jeopardy for _me_!" Mizuki huffed. "What're you gonna do if you get fired, huh?"

 **"I advise you both to calm down,"** Aiba interrupted. **"Chances of that happening are low. Eat some ice cream and think before you speak."**

"We really suck at this whole communication thing, don't we?" Date commented.

"It's a work in progress!" Mizuki said between bites, hoarding the bowl to herself. "Give it some time!"

"You're inspiring at the weirdest times, you know that?"

The tension seemed to have dissolved with Aiba's intervention, and things were looking up right until Mizuki opened her mouth.

"Date, can I ask a bad question?"

"What do you mean, bad question?"

"Something personal. Something that I probably shouldn't say."

Date's mind was immediately abuzz with all the terrifying potential enquiries Mizuki could have come up with, but he said "Okay" anyway.

Mizuki looked awkward, hunching up on the sofa like she always did when she was uncomfortable. She'd put the bowl back down. Date didn't want her to know he was internally sweating bullets over her query, so he decided to eat some more of the ice cream to appear casual. Unfortunately, Mizuki had already eaten it all, so all he accomplished was making himself look even more awkward. Luckily Mizuki wasn't looking. She was wrapped up in her own head again, contemplating whether or not to voice her thoughts.

"Mizuki-"

"What's it like to kill someone?" She blurted out, like she was trying to get the words out before she lost her nerve. Date was silent for a long while before countering with another question.

"Why do you want to know that?"

Mizuki narrowed her eyes. "When my parents died, I... I couldn't stop blaming myself. I convinced myself that somehow, something I'd done led to this. I could barely live with myself. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

Mizuki's hands tightened around Aiba, a desperation to her voice. "You... you were an assassin. How can you live with that? I didn't even kill anyone, and the guilt is still crushing me, but you go on like it doesn't matter."

 **"Mizuki,"** Aiba warned gently.

"No, Aiba, it's okay." Date said, resigned. "This was gonna come up sooner or later."

Mizuki stared at the ground, tapping her feet. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean that in a vindictive way. But I've been genuinely curious for a while now. I-I shouldn't have said all that."

"It's _fine._ " Date emphasized, although Mizuki suspected he was forcing himself just as much as she was. "Communication, remember?"

"Right." Mizuki smiled weakly.

There was silence for a little while.

"Did they at least... deserve it?" Mizuki offered. The look Date gave her in response was so sorrowful that she immediately regretted opening her mouth.

"...At first, it was just criminals." He said. "The real scummy ones. Child murderers, abusers and so on. And even then, only if we couldn't get them under legal means."

"Why couldn't you?"

"They had influence, sometimes. Like So Sejima. Old money and connections. Or we simply couldn't find enough concrete evidence to nail 'em."

"Well... it's not good to kill people, but maybe people like that are better off dead." Mizuki mumbled. "That way they can't hurt others any more."

"That's a whole 'nother debate that I'm not getting into with you right now." Date sighed. "But it wasn't just people like that. When I started working for the Kumakuras, things changed. They had their enemies, and they'd do anything to get rid of them."

"Like hiring an assassin?" Mizuki frowned.

"For instance." He shrugged. "And if anyone was at the wrong place at the wrong time, saw something they shouldn't have, they'd be targeted like the rest. Even if they didn't do anything wrong."

Mizuki didn't really know what to say to that, so she didn't say anything. Date noted her silence and looked at her wistfully.

"Mizuki... are you afraid of me?"

Mizuki frowned. "No."

"Then, are you angry?"

"It's not that either." She said. "No matter what, I can't think of you as being a killer. You're stupid and clumsy and a pervert, but you care about people. You gave me this just cause you're nice like that!' Mizuki pointed to the scarf she was wearing. The blank expression of Adorabbit was emblazoned on it, as if even he was shocked by the conversation.

"I couldn't believe it, either." Date murmured.

 **"Saying that 'Falco' and 'Date' are the same is not necessarily correct."** Aiba decided it was time to throw in her two cents. **"Nor is it incorrect. It is like Pewter said. The whole 'egg' is replaced."**

"What egg?" Mizuki asked.

"Oh, here we go again..."

 **"When Date Psynced with Saito the first time, there was a mistake. Losing your memories was a side-effect of the malfunction."** Aiba jumped up onto the table, demanding the full attention ot her companions. **"Your yolk was brought into Saito's shell and vice versa, but the whites were left behind. In essence, the personality of Falco was stripped of memories, including the painful ones that led him to become a killer. All that remained was the soul. This went for Saito too, while he was in Rohan."**

"Sorry, Aiba, you've lost me." Mizuki shrugged.

 **"Well, to put it bluntly..."** Aiba folded her tiny stubby arms. **"Date was, in a way, reborn. Memories are what make us who we are. Without the burden of that knowledge, Falco became his truest self, which apparently turned out to be a semi-normal person with a bone fetish."**

"Hey! Don't sell me out like this!"

 **"Debates such as this have long existed in philosophy."** Aiba continued. **"If a person with memory loss lives through different experiences than their prior self, especially in circumstances like yours, their values and worldview can change drastical** **ly. It's not too much of a stretch to say Date only came into existence six years ago. Thanks to the positive relationships in his life and lack of memories, Falco fulfilled his potential to live a 'normal' life."**

"Okay but did you imply I'm mentally 6?" Date interrupted, indignant.

"That's not exactly wrong." Mizuki added.

"Oi, oi..."

**"Of course, this is only my analysis on the subject. But it is worth thinking about how to proceed from here on."**

"Proceed with what, exactly?" Date asked.

**"You can choose to renounce your former identity as Falco. Nobody can say definitively that you are the same, due to the amnesia. But by doing that, your past with Iris and Hitomi will be effectively voided."**

"Not appealing." Date snorted, peering down at Aiba's rodent form as she gesticulated wildly. "Any other options?"

**"Accepting that you are Falco, if only by technicality. But that means shouldering the guilt and consequences that come with it."**

"Talk about alternating between extremes." Mizuki chimed in.

"It's not something I can decide on just like that." Date added. "Seeing things in black-or-white terms isn't typically how we operate, anyway."

 **"Of course. I did not expect a choice right away."** Aiba agreed. **"As a human, you may even find an answer I was unable to calculate."**

Date was sure that if Aiba was in her human form right now, she'd be smiling. He could hear it in her tinny, robotic voice.

**"I look forward to it, Date."**

* * *

The next morning was the first day of Date's suspension. Aiba knew things were going to get irritating from here on out, lamenting to herself while her housemates ate breakfast in blissful ignorance. Mizuki said her goodbyes and headed off to school, her old charm now affixed to her new bag.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

[Did she forget something?] Date wondered as he went to open it. An entirely different girl was standing there outside, struggling to carry a large cardboard box.

"Here's... your... delivery..." She trembled out. Date didn't remember ordering for anything to be delivered, but the girl looked as if she might collapse any second, so he took it off her hands.

"I think you have the wrong house..."

 **[No need to worry. It was I who made the... investment.]** revealed Aiba.

"You bought something with my money?!" Date burst out, causing the delivery girl to take a few nervous paces back.

**[It was a worthwhile purchase. And besides, what's yours is mine.]**

"Can you not?!"

"Um... so is this parcel for you or not?" The girl murmured, clearly wanting to get the hell out of this situation as soon as humanly possible.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Date said, and began the excruciatingly slow process of dragging the box through the front door. Once it was finally indoors, he nearly collapsed on the carpet, staring deep into the box's soul.

[Aiba, X-Ray Mode.]

**[You could just open it.]**

[First rule of law enforcement, don't open anonymous parcels.]

**[But you already know I ordered it...]**

Despite her protests, Aiba turned on the X-Ray. The box was filled to the brim with books, although the titles weren't legible.

[Aiba, could it be? You ordered a new shipment of porno mags?]

**[Absolutely not.]**

"Alright, fine, I'm opening it." Date narrated to himself as he gave in and opened the parcel. Books of all sorts of sizes and colours were stacked tightly inside, from lengthy hardbacks to glossy magazines . He pulled a few out to peruse the titles, reading them aloud.

"Dealing with Loss. How to Know Your Teenager. Supporting a Loved One with Dementia."

He continued leafing through the pile.

"...Curbing Your Porn Addiction For Good?"

 **[I thought you might find that particularly insightful.]** Aiba suggested.

[Are these all... self-help books?] asked Date.

**[Things of that nature, yes.]**

[I mean, it's not a bad thing, but... how much did all these cost?]

 **[The price isn't what matters, it's how it affects your quality of life.]** Aiba said, evasive.

[Yes, and our quality of life will go _down_ if you drive us to bankruptcy!] Date retorted. He still found himself pulling more books out to examine anyway.

 **[There's a lot about handling grief and trauma. I figured it would be better than nothing, seeing as you refuse to see a psychiatrist.]** Aiba mentioned, appearing kneeled on the ground next to him. If she was in her hamster form, she would have been able to actually touch the books, but it seemed that wasn't her reason for projecting.

"Even if I wanted to, it's impossible. All of my issues come from the Psyncing. Which is a national secret. Better not to chance it." Date shook his head.

Aiba sighed. **[That's not wrong. Which is why everyone involved should help each other. No-one else will understand what happened, so you might as well stick together.]**

"With the people involved with the Cyclops incident, you mean?"

 **[Exactly. Which is why I ordered a few books for their benefit as we-]** All of a sudden, Aiba cut herself off and stood bolt upright. Date watched her from the floor with concern.

**[A call's coming in from Ota.]**

[Answer it.]

Within a second, Ota's face appeared in his field of vision, looking rather uncertain.

"Hello?"

"Hey, um, it's me." Ota said. "Sorry to call you out of the blue like this, Date, but this is my break and I won't get another chance to talk for a few hours."

"It's fine." Date replied. "What do you need?"

"Honestly, I was hoping we could talk later. In person." Ota rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "I- I don't really know how to say this, but I need advice, and... you're the only one I could really ask."

"Advice on what?"

"I'll tell you that when we meet, okay! It's the kind of conversation you can't have over the phone!"

[He's already assuming I'll agree...]

**[Are you not going to?]**

[Not like there's anything better to do, seeing as I'm on _unpaid leave._ ]

**[Get over that already!]**

"Date? You there?" Ota called.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm listening. So when are we doing this?"

"I finish my shift at Lemniscate at around noon. From then, I have a couple free hours till I have to go to FamiSto. How about you meet me at the usual lobby and we can go on a walk or something from there?"

"Why can't we just talk in the lobby?" Date asked, confused.

"Uh... I figure it's not good to hang around like a bum in your workplace, you know?"

Date idly wondered if thermographs worked over call. "Bullshit, you hang around there all the time."

 **[They don't, by the way. The thermographs.]** Aiba added helpfully.

Ota fell silent, looking very dejected in the one-way video call.

"Is it because of Iris?" asked Date, although he was already confident in his hunch.

"...Yeah." Ota admitted, sounding more than a little guilty.

[Now I'm _really_ curious about what's going on.] Date thought, protectiveness for his second not-daughter flaring up.

 **[Don't let your pseudo-paternal instincts get the best of you.]** Aiba reminded.

Date sighed and made his decision. "Okay, Ota. I'll be there."

"Really?" Ota gasped. "You're actually gonna help me?"

"Don't make me regret it, kid." Date rolled his eyes.

"I-I won't!" Ota insisted. "In fact, I feel like I can work even harder now!"

"That's good, but don't you have like five jobs? Don't burn the candle at both ends or anything."

"It's fine! I gotta go now anyway." Ota waved a hand dismissively. "See ya."

The boy hung up before anyone had a chance to get a word in edgeways, leaving Date and Aiba with only the dial tone for company.

 **[He certainly moves at his own pace.]** Aiba said generously.

]No kidding. What have I gotten myself into?]

**[Well, we have some time before meeting up with Ota. I suggest you get reading.]**

* * *

A few hours and a car ride later, Date was in the lobby of Lemniscate, waiting for Ota to get off work. Why did Ota get a job here, anyway? Was it just for easier access to Iris?

The receptionist with huge breasts was sitting behind the desk, as she always did. Date figured she was as good a person as any to clue him in on what was going on.

"Heyyy, A-Set's Uncle!" She waved. "Long time no see, amirite?"

 **[I don't know why you thought it was a good idea to talk to her.]** Aiba said drily.

"How are things around here lately?" Date asked, ignoring her.

The receptionist put a finger to her chin in a mockery of thought. "Hmmmm... Things aren't like super good for the company right now, TBH. Everyone's totes depressed since the old boss died, and most companies want nothing to do with us. Y'know, cuz Okiura murdered his wife and all? Not great for business."

"...I guess not." Date bit back the urge to correct her. Renju being publicly declared the culprit of Shoko's murder left a bad taste in his mouth - especially because _Renju_ was the one who had been murdered, albeit inside his ex-wife's body. Instead of saying something he knew he'd regret, he fished for more information. "How's Iris doing?"

"Wouldn't you know better than me? I don't really interact much with her directly." The receptionist pointed out. "But you know... the other day, I saw her sitting on that sofa with that Ota kid."

"Oh yeah?"

"I dunno what they were saying, they were wayyy across the room from me. They're whispering to each other and suddenly A-Set gets up and walks away like out of nowhere. So I try to ask her if she's okay, and Ota's telling her to wait, but she ignores both of us and straight-up leaves."

"That... sounds strange." Date said.

"She's a nice girl, yeah? I feel like it was super weird of her to act that way." The woman agreed. "Then again, Mr Okiura's funeral is coming up, and she was real close to him."

"...The funeral." Date repeated blankly. He'd almost forgotten, with everything else going on.

**[Both Shoko and Renju's were postponed due to the media storm. Their families wanted the case to be solved before holding them. You already received an email about this.]**

That was true, but at the time, Date only skimmed over the details and put it to the back of his mind. As the dates closed in, that was proving to be a mistake.

[Mizuki didn't even mention it...]

**[She must have conflicting feelings about it. It's difficult, mourning while listening to false accusations about your family. On top of that, their treatment of her was abysmal. She probably doesn't want to think about it until the days are actually here.]**

"Shit... I didn't even realize..." He muttered aloud. Suddenly the Boss's insistence on a vacation was making a lot more sense.

"It's okay," the receptionist said, misunderstanding. "It's a private thing anyway, not like us employees are invited. Don't worry about it. People like us aren't expected to attend. Like, in the end, we basically didn't know him."

"You've got that right." Date said, his incredulous chuckle just managing to disguise the bitterness and hurt in his voice.

 **[If she only knew.]** Aiba thought wistfully.

Luckily, the tension in the room was broken by Ota walking through the door in the back, mop in hand. He put his cleaning supplies and apron away before approaching the reception desk.

"Hey." He said nervously, as if expecting to be punched square in the face upon arrival. "Hey to you too, Reception Lady."

"You can call me Ritsuko."

"Date, can we get out of here?" Ota lowered his voice.

"What, you scared of reptilians?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind, let's go. Anywhere in particular you wanted to be?" Date asked as the two of them walked through the sliding doors.

"I didn't think that much into it," Ota shrugged. "I just don't wanna be around _here,_ y'know?"

"Well, there's somewhere I have to go after this," replied Date. "So let's sit in the car and I can charge Aiba while we talk."

"You can do that in the car?" an awed Ota enquired.

"Sure can. C'mon, get in." Date pressed the button to open the car door. Ota did as he was told and climbed in, barely having to duck due to his height.

[God I hope nobody saw that. Ota looks like he's ten.]

**[And you do look like a creepy old man with that stubble. You should shave it.]**

[I couldn't grow a beard in Saito's body. Give me a break, I'm getting used to it.]

"You getting in too, or are you going to stand out there for the rest of time?" Ota stuck his head out from inside the car. Date sighed and slid into the driver's seat next to him, closing the door with a thud. Ota kicked his feet against the front of the car absentmindedly, but since his legs were too short he didn't scuff anything.

"Okay Ota, I need you to not freak out at this."

Ota glanced upwards, only to see Date's left eye rolling out of his head and falling into his open palm.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ota screeched, pressing himself up against the window in terror.

"I told you not to freak out!" Date growled.

"I need adequate warning before you start it with the freaky cyborg crap!" Ota's hysterical cries continued.

"Forget about the freaking for now." Date said as he inserted his eye into the spherical indent in the steering wheel, earning another horrified glance from Ota. "You said you wanted advice?"

"I guess..." Ota said quietly.

"Why don't you start with telling me what you and Iris were fighting about at Lemniscate?"

"Y-You knew about that, huh..." Ota hung his head, his hat wobbling dangerously like it might fall off. "Saying 'fight' isn't exactly right though..."

"Oh yeah?" Date prompted.

Ota sighed before propelling himself back up in his chair. "I... apologised to her. About the sockpuppeting."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah... I dunno, I guess after everything we went through I didn't want any more secrets." He said.

 **[It seems everyone feels the same way.]** Aiba chimed in.

"And you had an argument?"

"No, actually. What happened was..."

* * *

_Iris was silent for a long time. She looked down at Ota, stone-faced. Her normal easy smile was small, plastered-on._

_"...I guess this makes us even."_

_"Huh?" Ota snapped to attention._

_Iris's pained gaze made him want to shrivel up and die. "I was thinking I should apologise to you, Ota."_

_"Apologise for what?" Ota frowned._

_"I always had a feeling it was you." Iris said. "But I didn't say anything because I didn't want things to change between us."_

_"Tesa, you..." Ota was touched, but the idol shook her head fervently._

_"It's not like how you're imagining." She hissed. "I wanted to keep you around, and I really do like you, Ota... but it was for my own sake."_

_"I'm not following."_

_Iris held her head in her hand, sighing deeply. "It was good, having someone who'd back me up whenever. Who'd listen to me and take my side even when I was being totally unreasonable. I said you're like a hero I can always count on, right? But I used you a lot... I even forced you to help me blackmail Date way back when..."_

_"Tesa, it's okay. What I did was way worse than that-" Ota attempted to soothe her, only invoking her ire even more._

_"It's not okay!" She insisted, standing up straight. "Real friends don't treat each other like we did! No wonder you started lashing out at me online when I used you like that!"_

_"How are you making this into your fault! I'm the one who was being a dick, not you!" Ota replied. "Of course I helped you out with that stuff, that's what friends are for..."_

_"But I never helped you." Iris said, tears brimming up in her eyes. "I kept one-sidedly depending on you to bail me out of whatever I got into... I liked having someone who would listen to me unquestioningly. But before I knew it, that's all our friendship became."_

_"Tesa..." Ota breathed._

_"Please. Don't call me that." She said. "Call me Iris. I don't want you to be my thrall or hero or whatever. I want us to be on equal ground again."_

_"I-I'm sorry... Iris."_

_"Don't get me wrong, I'm really mad at you..." Iris narrowed her eyes, staring down at the ground. "All that stuff you said really hurt me!"_

_"..."_

_"Sorry... I'm gonna go before I get any more emotional." The girl huffed, turning to leave. "I just... need to be alone right now, Ota."_

_"Tesa, wait-!"_

_"I said not to call me that..." She whispered, crying softly as she walked out._

* * *

"That's a perfectly reasonable reaction," Date pointed out after listening to Ota recount the conversation.

"She was supposed to be mad at ME. Not herself." Ota buried hia face in his hands.

"Iris is that kind of girl. Give her some time." Date replied.

"How much time? It's been like a week and she still won't talk to me!"

"She has a right to be upset, you know. You betrayed her trust pretty hard."

"Ugh..." Ota groaned. "I guess I'll have to commit seppuku and go the way of all flesh."

"Calm down, kid. Whether she forgives you or not isn't what's important. What matters is that you did the right thing." Date opened up the glove box and took out a small tin filled with white tablets. "Take a chill pill."

"Are those drugs?" Ota asked quietly.

"No, they're mints," said Date, chucking one in his mouth.

"Then what's with the powdery stuff in the plastic bag?"

"It's flour."

"B-But... why?"

"My eye did it."

Ota looked at him with total disappointment. "If it wasn't for the fact I just saw your eye fall out of your face of its own accord, I would definitely think you were on drugs."

Date shrugged. "Yeah, Aiba is my dealer. She drugged me for six years without my knowledge or consent."

**[Oh, I'm sorry! Should I _not_ have supplied you with medication that stopped you from turning into a murderous psychopath?]**

[Okay, but there's no justification for the flour.]

"You know, when I talk to you, I feel better." Ota said. "My life might suck right now but at least I don't have a sentient, drug-dealing AI living in my brain."

**[Date! Tell him that's slander and I will be seeing him in court.]**

"She says she's taking you to court."

"And now I'm being prosecuted by an eyeball..." sighed Ota. "At least I have the money to hire a lawyer now."

"Speaking of money, what's with all the part-time jobs?" Date asked.

Ota shrugged. "I want to be able to support my mom like she supported me."

"That's admirable, but don't push yourself too hard. Your dark circles look like black eyes right now."

"I'm not..." Ota mumbled. "I'm just trying to make up for being such a good-for-nothing son up till now."

He took a mint and chomped on it, loudly and obnoxiously.

 **[I am concerned about Ota, Date.]** Aiba filled the not-quite-silence. **[His father, Takero Matsushita, had a heart attack from overwork. Poor cardiovascular health may run in the family.]**

[You think Ota's going to die if he keeps this up?]

**[Not necessarily, but it is a possibility. Even for those without pre-existing medical conditions, undue work-related stress can cause illness and poor mental health. It is worth keeping in mind.]**

"No matter how good your intentions, you can't support your mom if you run your own health ragged." Date said, half thinking out loud to Aiba and half actually responding to Ota. "You're writing in your spare time too, aren't you?"

"Yeah..." replied Ota. "But that's just a hobby. For now."

"How much sleep are you even getting?' Date couldn't resist asking him.

"About eight..."

"Oh, that's better than I was expe-"

"...ty minutes."

[...]

 **[...]** Aiba said nothing, but her disapproval was clear.

"You know Ota," said Date, "You say you're trying to support your mother. But this whole business seems like you're trying to punish yourself more than anything."

"What?" Ota blanked, eyes as wide as saucers.

"It really isn't necessary to have as many jobs as you do. Even you must know, logically, that this isn't going to help your situation."

"...You might be right about that." Ota let out a coarse, nervous laugh. "I guess since I was a layabout for so long, I feel like I have to prove myself even more."

"And you want people to understand that you've matured, right? So you feel like the only way to show your remorse is by putting yourself under unnecessary strife." Date continued, putting his hands on the steering wheel as if the car was actually moving. Maybe it was a comfort thing.

"Now presenting, _Armchair Psychology with Ota Matsushita and Kaname Date,_ " Ota narrated, voice full of snark that would make even Mizuki jealous. "Seriously, if I have to get lectured I'd prefer a cute girl."

Date elected to ignore that last statement. "Yeah, well, I just thought that maybe we had more in common than I thought."

"Like what?" asked Ota.

"We're both trapped in Relationship Hell after wronging a Sagan."

"Huh. I guess you're right." Ota shrugged. "If Hitomi can forgive you shooting her, I'm sure Tesa can forgive me for what I did."

Date winced. "Okay, I deserved that one. But you're still going about this the wrong way. First off, didn't she ask you to stop calling her Tesa?"

"A-Ack! I said it without thinking!" Ota recoiled. "My brain went on autopilot!"

"Yeah, well, maybe if you actually tried to respect her wishes, she'd have an easier time talking to you." Date pointed out.

Ota lowered his head. "I guess, but..."

Perhaps luckily, he never had a chance to finish talking, as his phone alarm went off at an ear-shattering volume. Ota quickly grabbed his phone and shut it off.

"Sorry. That's my job alarm." He said, swinging his legs round from the passenger seat in anticipation of leaving. The door was already open before Date had a chance to respond, and before he knew it Ota was legging it out of the car park.

"In one ear and out the other, huh?" Date commented.

"Thanks for hearing me out." Ota turned around briefly with an awkward smile. "I'll think about it some more, I promise! But for now, they're expecting me."

He dashed off into the distance without a second thought, getting honked at by many a driver as he inadvertently got in their way.

 **[Expecting him? Isn't he just scanning food?]** Aiba commented after a long silence.

"I really hate that kid sometimes." Date said, pulling the door closed.

**[No you don't.]**

"You're right, I don't."

The engine sputtered to life with a weak grunt. From inside the steering wheel, Aiba sighed.

 **[We should get a new car. This one needs scrapping.]** She said.

"But getting it set up for you to use is a pain... plus installing a charger in the wheel."

**[You've been putting it off for too long. Let it go!]**

"Okay, okay," Date agreed while internally scheming about how to put it off even more. "We have one more stop before we clock in today."

 **[I do remember you saying that. Where are we going?]** Aiba asked, checking her memory files.

Date smirked as he reversed the car back into the road from whence it came.

"Ikume Shrine."


	4. 眩暈 (memAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> breaking news: author with no medical knowledge struggles to write characters with health defects

Aiba sat at the top of the shrine stairs, kicking her legs up and down to occupy herself. Naturally, a spiritual place such as this felt foreign to the AI. Although she'd been there several times before, it didn't calm her as much as it did everyone else. Perhaps because she was an AI, so it wasn't necessary for her to unwind. Either way, it was a pretty place to be, so she didn't dislike it.

The shrine bell's ringing echoed through the garden, melancholy and melodic in equal measure. Aiba turned her head to see Date ringing the bell and wordlessly got up to join him.

 **[Let's pray.]** She said, putting her translucent hands together.

[It's strange, for two people who don't believe to be standing here, hoping their wishes will be granted.] Date thought, copying her motions.

 **[An AI and a Psyncer walk into a shrine...]** Aiba began, only for the smile to fall off her face as she couldn't think of a punchline. **[Actually, never mind.]**

[Your jokes still need work.]

**[Really? That is surprising. I told my jokes to Mizuki, and she preferred mine to yours 67% of the time. Maybe you should wish for a better sense of humour.]**

Date scowled at her and went back to praying. Aiba went along with it, trying to think what she should wish for. It wasn't as if she believed it would work, but recently she'd had a desire to more... human, for lack of a better word. When she was first created, she didn't have much in the way of emotions or desires. Thought such things were a waste of her time and storage space.

She did her job, and that was it.

Aiba couldn't pinpoint when exactly that began to change. She often wondered if it was a good thing - wouldn't a complex programme like 'feelings' get in the way of her duties?- but now she accepted it as her evolution. It was like a little voice, telling her that there was a place for intuition and emotion in detective work. She thought she'd heard someone say that once, but her memory banks didn't have any such quotes stored. Perhaps that too was spiritual in nature?

Her musings were cut short when she heard the little voice again - only this time, it was Date, making a wish to the shrine.

[I hope... that everyone who died can find peace. Renju, Shoko, Manaka... and everyone else who was killed by Saito and Rohan.]

Aiba hoped for that too, in as much as a machine could have 'hope'.

[And... everyone I killed, too.]

She was silent for a bit before mentally responding, **[** **And _I_ wish that everyone who is still alive can find a little peace. That should cover all the bases, should it not?]**

Date smiled a little. "Yep. Thanks, partner."

Aiba nodded at nothing in particular. A priest passed them and walked up the stairs, right through her projected form, making her shiver. She shot a glare at Date as he stifled a laugh.

 **[All right, that's enough! What are we _really_** **doing here?]** She put her hands on her hips.

[Two days ago, in Kei Shiraishi's Somnium, we saw this place. There might be a clue here.]

**[Are you planning on searching without a warrant? This isn't under our jurisdiction anymore, Date. We have no authority on this case.]**

[...]

Aiba flipped her hair, irritated. **[Not everything in the world is our responsibility. I'm sure Boss and her men have already checked this area, anyway. Let's leave the Rin Shiraishi case to her and the other Psyncers for now.]**

[But it might be connected to the Cyclops case.] Date argued. [Shoko was there in that photo, you saw it. There might be something we missed, all those months ago...]

 **[There isn't,]** Aiba said, her expression growing softer. **[There were pictures of many different victims, not just her. It's a prime example of the Baader-Meinhoff Phenomenon.]**

[The what?]

**[Or the Frequency Illusion. People tend to notice the presence of a certain element more often once it has come to their attention initially. Like seeing couples everywhere after a break up.]**

[Is that all it is?]

**[The probability is high.]**

[Then we came here for nothing?]

**[I don't know if I'd say that. You've relaxed considerably since arriving here.]**

[And you've become considerably more irritating...]

Aiba promptly stopped talking, squinting into the distance.

[Aiba, I was joking. Don't tell me you're actually mad-]

 **[No, look.]** The colours of the world faded as Aiba activated the X-ray vision mode. **[Behind the big stone.]**

Date saw it immediately. The silhouette of a person was clearly visible through the stone monument, slouched with their back up against the rock.

[Someone's there...]

 **[They're... very still.]** Aiba observed, what she was hinting towards all too obvious. Her hologram was gone now - the AI was directing her focus to more important things.

Date walked over to the other side of the monument to get a closer look. Bright pink hair assaulted his vision, the girl sitting slumped on the ground.

"Iris." He whispered, his whole body hit with a violent flinch. He kneeled down beside her in an instant, grabbing her wrist. "Oh god, Iris, what happened?! Iris!"

Iris didn't say anything. Her eyes remained firmly closed.

"C'mon, Iris, get up. I'm taking you to the hospital." When she didn't respond, Date put a hand behind her head and another around her body, and tried to prise her away from the rock.

 **[Date, stop! She might be injured!]** Aiba shouted. **[Moving her without knowing the problem could make things worse.]**

"Shit. You're right. What should I-" Date pulled his hands away, only to see that one of them had a substantial amount of blood on it. "Wh- What's happening?"

**[I'm calling an ambulance now.]**

The next thing he knew, a bored-sounding operator was on the line. "Hello, you've reached the Emergency Services. Do you need the police, fire brigade, or ambulance services?"

"A-Ambulance. Please." He could hear how helpless he sounded over the echo, and he hated it. "I don't know what happened but she's bleeding and unconscious. Please send help as soon as you can."

"Right away, sir." Date hadn't even noticed when the responder changed, but it didn't matter. As long as someone, anyone could help Iris. "Where are you right now?"

"We're at Ikume Shrine. You... you know where that is, right?" In the heat of the moment, it felt like everything was riding on this one conversation. He was terrified that somehow, he'd mess it up, and- no, that outcome didn't bear thinking about.

"We do. Please stay calm, help is on the way." The gentle tone of the responder did nothing to dispel Date's fears. "Can you tell us what happened in more detail?"

"I don't know, I just found her unconscious and she's bleeding-"

"Bleeding from where?"

"I don't know, the back of her head I think-"

"Is the patient breathing?"

The words stung, from describing Iris as a 'patient' to implying she might be dead already. Date's grip on Iris's wrist got tighter.

"She... has a pulse." He said eventually. "She's breathing."

"Okay, and do you know the patient? Are you aware of any pre-existing medical conditions or health defects?"

"She had a brain tumour." Date whispered. 'B-But it was removed. The surgery was a success. This can't be..."

"You're doing fine. Can you stay with her until the ambulance arrives?"

"Yeah."

"Is anyone else injured?"

"No, not that I can see..."

"Okay. The ambulance is on its way."

Questions. So many damn questions.

Date had been on the other end of this exchange many a time, albeit for the police rather than medical services. He'd thought he understood the panic of a frantic parent or terrified child as they reached the phone to call for help. But now, he was experiencing it for himself, and he was scared just as witless as any civilian.

A few priests on-duty came out of the shrine to see what all the fuss was about, and soon they were crowding around Iris, talking amongst themselves. Date could hardly hear them.

"Hey..."

Iris's weak voice silenced everyone in the garden. Her head moved back and forth as she tried to get a grip on her surroundings.

"Iris!"

"Uncle..." she said quietly. "Sorry, I... I fell down..."

"It's okay, we're gonna go to the hospital and get you checked out. Okay?"

Iris nodded, but stopped halfway through the gesture, as though even that was causing too much pain. "I'm okay... really. I just... got dizzy... really dizzy..."

"Hold on, Iris. It's gonna be fine." Date insisted, trying to convince himself. One of the priests tapped him on the shoulder and said something, but the words didn't process. All he could focus on the girl in front of him, eyes hazy, the bottom of her scalp matted with blood. Everything else was a blur, and only when the ambulance sirens could be heard blaring through the night did he calm down.

They put Iris on a stretcher and wheeled her into the back of the vehicle.

"Are you a relative?" one of the staff asked, looking at Date with sympathy.

"I'm her uncle..." He replied stiffly.

"Would you come with us? We need someone to keep..."

"Iris."

"Iris, calm and feeling safe. Do you think you can do that?"

Date nodded. "Yes. Please let me come with you."

The next few minutes were a blur as everyone got into the back of the ambulance, leaving the resident priests extremely confused about what had just occurred. Snatches of smear-frame scenery flashed through the window as the van made its way to Central Hospital.

Iris turned her head, as much as she could.

"Mom's... gonna be so worried, isn't she?" she said softly. Guilt seeped into her pale face.

"Don't worry about that. Everything will be fine." Date attempted to comfort her. "You'll be out in no time. And no matter what happens, me and your mother will be there by your side."

"...Yeah? And we'll have an okonomiyaki war?" Iris's smile was light, hopeful.

"When you're feeling better."

Satisfied, Iris turned her head back away, likely lapsing into sleep.

[Aiba. Call Hitomi. Tell her what's happening.] Date mumured to himself, a darkness to the tone of his thoughts.

 **[Wouldn't you rather tell her yourself?]** asked Aiba.

[...I'm sorry, Aiba... I just can't bear to be the one... who gives Hitomi more bad news.]

Aiba relented. **[Okay. I understand. I'll take one for the team this time. Don't contact me until I'm done.]**

* * *

Several hours passed in that blindingly white hospital lobby with no sign of news. Date had stared at every single wall, every single drawing and poster in the room. He'd read any number of informational pamphlets and now knew more about rubella, mad cow disease, and rabies than he'd ever wanted to.

The eternal monotony of listening to ticking clocks was halted when a figure burst into the waiting room. Hitomi was there, her hair wet and face permanently fixed in a state of alarm. When had it started raining?

"Hitomi, over here." Date raised a hand and Hitomi rushed over, planting herself into the adjacent seat. She was buzzing with nerves, trying to suppress the violent dam of emotion trying to surge outwards.

"Is it true? Iris is here?" Hitomi breathed. Her voice was so hoarse, and her eyes were conspiciously red.

"Yes." Date said. "Apparently she fell and hit her head on the monument at Ikume Shrine. The doctors said she likely has concussion due to the head trauma."

"Oh, is that all? Thank god," Hitomi's entire face visibly relaxed, making Date's heart pang with guilt.

"Unfortunately... it's not that simple. They want to test her for... recurrence, just in case."

"Recurrence...?" Hitomi covered her mouth with her left hand. "Of the cancer..."

**[There is much debate about whether or not cranial trauma can result in brain tumours. However, effects of such trauma on former brain cancer patients are not well documented.]**

"They said it was just in case." Date tried to reassure the mother. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Hitomi looked up at him, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Date, I... I can't lose anyone else. I can't lose Iris."

Date took a deep breath, his arms gingerly wrapping around Hitomi, like he was a pen afraid to put ink to paper. Hitomi grasped a fistful of his shirt, moisture flowing freely from her eyes by now.

"I lost my parents. I lost Manaka. I lost you. I can't lose Iris." She repeated to herself like it was a mantra.

"You won't." Date said with as much conviction as he could muster. "Iris can't die, she ate the fruit of immortality."

Hitomi smiled weakly. "Iris says that same thing all the time. I don't know what that means."

"It's something she dreamt about once." Date admitted.

"I'll never understand the power of that girl's imagination..." Hitomi gave a happy sigh, turning away to stare at the doors in the room. Hoping that Iris's doctor would come through with the news.

 **[There's a text from Mizuki.]** Aiba interrupted.

He allowed the texts to flash up on his left side.

《Where are you? Spoiler warning, if you aren't back by ten I'm considering it permission to eat your Odoroki-man chocolates.》

[Never change, Mizuki.] He thought.

"Thanks for accompanying her, by the way." Hitomi said suddenly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't found Iris..."

"There's no need, Hitomi. Just doing what anyone would do."

They waited in pregnant silence for about fifteen minutes before a nurse entered the waiting room and whisked Hitomi away.

(Was that the nurse who was marrying the mob doctor, Date wondered idly.)

They talked amongst themselves for a bit before dispersing, and Hitomi sat back down on the uncomfortable lobby chair with a sigh.

"Well?" asked Date.

"It's like you said. She hit her head when she fell." Hitomi muttered, staring at the ground. "A bit of a concussion."

"Forgive me for saying so, but you don't look particularly relieved." Date went out on a limb, giving Hitomi a serious look. She sighed, letting her gaze wander to the floor once again.

"They... they're going to give her a CT scan, to check for tumours or blood clots." Hitomi murmured in that weakly pained voice that made Date's heart sink.

"I see. Do you know how long..?"

"The procedure itself doesn't take that long, but it can take a week or so for the results to come in." Hitomi replied. "Given her medical history, they want to keep her here until she recovers a bit. Then, if... worst comes to worst... I can get her surgery right away."

[Does she have the money for another surgery...?]

 **[She should still have some of the hush money from ABIS. And there's a chance the others haven't spent their share yet.]** Aiba piped up.

[Yeah... I'll ask them.]

"So, uh, what are you going to do in the meantime? Will you be okay?" Date asked and then mentally kicked himself for being so insensitive.

Hitomi just smiled. "I'm friends with a few of the nurses here, they're setting it up so I can stay overnight with Iris. Don't snitch on me, okay?"

Date laughed humourlessly. "Wouldn't dream of it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Hitomi said. "How is Mizuki, by the way? Does she know what's going on?"

"Not yet."

"You should go back home to her." Hitomi said. "It's getting late."

"But you and Iris..." Date trailed off. "I don't want to leave you guys alone in this kind of situation."

"I'll be fine." Hitomi replied. "It's not my first time staying overnight here."

 **[Date, I have an idea.]** Aiba chimed in.

[And what's that?]

Without any warning, Aiba flipped through the air, landing with grace onto Hitomi's lap.

"W-What in the world...?" Hitomi gasped.

"Dammit, Aiba! What did I tell you about popping out like that?!" Date hissed.

Aiba completely ignored him, bobbing her little head in a laughable attempt at a bow. **"It's nice to meet you officially, Hitomi Sagan. I know we met briefly when I was reconstructed, but I've been wanting to talk to you for a while."**

Hitomi stared blankly.

"Hey, what are you doing?" asked Date, miffed.

 **"She said she would like to meet me when we were at her house the other day."** Aiba said. **"I am granting her request."**

"You're Aiba?" Hitomi said, her brain slowly catching up to the situation.

**"Official designation: AI-Ball."**

"I don't think the lobby is the best place for this introduction. What if someone sees you?" Date cut in.

 **"Just shield me with your hand or something."** Aiba was far too nonchalant about the whole thing. **"Anyway, as I was saying, I do have an idea for how we can carry out remote surveillance on Iris's health."**

"There are so many words you could have used in that sentence, but you somehow picked the creepiest one every time."

Hitomi looked back and forth at the scene before her, nonplussed. "S...Surveillance?"

"Sorry. Aiba gets ahead of herself sometimes, just ignore her." Date said while gesturing frantically.

"No, I am sorry that my partner is a fool who won't listen to reason." Aiba shot back.

"...Is... is this how every day is for you two...?" Hitomi whispered.

 **"Yes,"** said Aiba immediately.

"Yes," echoed Date, with despair reflected in his remaining eye.

 **"As I was _saying,"_** Aiba started again, **"I do have an idea of how we can work together to best support Iris. But it will require Hitomi's co-operation."**

"My co-operation?" Hitomi repeated.

Aiba reached into her gel-like body and appeared to rip a chunk of herself out with a bizarre squishy sound.

 **"Behold."** The AI brandished the piece of flesh as if she were Mama polishing a bonito. **"Just another of the many functions I have yet to utilize... I call it the AiLite (name subject to change.)"**

"I have MANY questions, but I'll just shut up and give you a chance to explain first." Date interjected.

**"The AiLite is, in simple terms, a compressed version of my core technology. Similar to my self in Somnia, it has little autonomy and can only carry out basic tasks, but its observational skills are top-notch."**

"I suppose that only makes sense, given you are an eyeball..." Hitomi murmured quietly.

"So how do we use this... thing?" asked Date.

 **"It serves similar to a contact lens."** explained Aiba. **"Hitomi puts me in her eye, and I'll be able to be seen by her in my virtual form. We'll also be able to speak, but not telepathically. You'd need to undergo specialist treatment for that."**

"T-Treatment?" Concern spread across Hitomi's face.

"You don't have to do anything like that!" Date cut in hurriedly. "Since when do you have this function anyway, Aiba?"

**"The Boss informed me a few weeks ago."**

[The Boss, huh... then it's probably safe. But what's the purpose?]

Aiba responded to his mental question out loud. **"I've been meaning to try this out for a while. If Hitomi wears the AiLite, I'll be able to split my consciousness between my hosts to monitor Iris and provide insight as to her health."**

Hitomi was quiet for a little while, whereas Date was on the brink of physically jamming Aiba back inside his head.

**"Boss wanted me to... try making connections with new people. But since I'm a secret, she and Pewter devised these lenses to be given to trustworthy people."**

"And you... trust me, Miss Aiba?" Hitomi asked gently.

 **"The hush money depended on your silence, which you have kept."** Aiba continued, clinical as ever. **"And Date trusts you implicitly, which is good enough for me."**

"Oh, hush up." Date muttered under his breath. Hitomi just giggled.

**"Of course, Hitomi, you are perfectly within your rights to decline my offer. I simply imagined it would be best for the two of you to alternate between hospital duty, especially since there are events in both your lives that need to be seen to. But that's only if you're okay with it-"**

"I'm okay with it." Hitomi said. The two looked at her in surprise, and then shock as she picked up the AiLite and applied it to her left eye.

"Y-You're gonna up and use it just like that?" Date rambled, trying to stop the panic and doubt from completely overtaking him.

Hitomi moved the lens about a bit until it was on properly.

"I don't see much of a difference, honestly." She commented.

**"I'm not projecting yet. Give me a second."**

The three waited with awkward silence as Aiba fumbled about.

 **"Sorry, the wi-fi in this hospital's not great,"** She explained as her human form once again came into view. Judging by Hitomi's surprised gasp, she could see her too.

"Is it necessary to have all the visuals?" Date asked, bored.

Aiba frowned. **"Well, no. But I would like to be seen by others in this form. Humans are more empathetic when perceiving something familiar to them."**

"You look adorable either way, Miss Aiba," Hitomi said, smiling in her direction. Aiba didn't know how to react to such a genuine compliment and simply nodded.

**[Now here is a woman with good taste.]**

[Are you still saying that? Actually, Hitomi can't hear this, can she?]

**[She cannot. I can share vision with her now, but our brains are separate, unlike you and I.]**

[Good.]

**[Yes, it is. I do not want to traumatize her by exposing her to your lecherous thoughts.]**

"So is that all I need to do?" Hitomi unknowingly interrupted.

**"Yes. Everything should be good to go now."**

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Hitomi?" Date felt the need to ask again. "It's probably a little daunting, so go ahead and take her out if she starts kicking up a fuss."

"I assure you, it's no problem." Hitomi said. "Iris and I have been saved by you two so many times... this is the least I can do."

[And I've been saved by you and Iris even more.] Date thought fondly.

 **[You do know you need to actually flirt out loud to get results, right?]** Aiba said dryly.

[I'm not flirting!]

Aiba smirked. **[I knew it, Date. You're the type who's perverted but gets flustered with genuine affection.]**

[Aiba, you are my irreplaceable partner. You are very dear to me. But know that I will not hesitate to punt you out the nearest window if you don't shut up.] Date replied, slowly picking up Aiba and pretending to line up a throw.

"Are you all right?" Hitomi looked concerned once again. Date mumbled in the affirmative and put the eyeball back down.

[You live to nag another day, Aiba.]

 **"Anyway, that is all that we need to take care of here. We should return and make dinner for Mizuki."** Aiba said. Date nodded, putting her back in.

"In that case, I suppose I'll see you later, Date," Hitomi said.

"You'll be okay on your own?" Date persisted.

"I'm fine, don't worry so." She laughed, although it was more grating than her usual laughts. More insincere. "Besides, I'll have Aiba with me. Or a part of her."

"Okay. But, you know, if it gets too much, give me a ring anytime."

"I don't believe I have your number." Hitomi paused.

One hastily scribbled note exchange later, everyone was suitably connected.

"Alright. I'll come see you and Iris tomorrow, or however long it is before she gets discharged." Date promised.

"Thank you. I'm sure that will make Iris feel a little cheerier." Hitomi smiled.

They were quiet for a second, grasping for something to say amongst the million unspoken words in the air.

"Well. Bye, then." Date said stiffly, getting up to leave.

"Bye," said Hitomi.

* * *

The drive home was a quiet one. Mizuki was sitting on her bed when they arrived, looking irritated. Date sat down on the sofa, leaning his elbows across the coffee table, looking generally dazed.

"Why didn't you respond to my text?" She accused, revving herself up for a session of yelling. "I had to go buy instant noodles from the store 'cause _someone_ wasn't around to make dinner! You're the one who said we should eat together, what happene-"

Date's head dropped further onto the table.

"Are you even listening to me? Geez..." Mizuki muttered, raising his limp arm to get a look at his face.

He was asleep.

Mizuki was aghast. "H-Hey, what're you sleeping for the second you get in the door? What's wrong with him, Aiba?"

Aiba didn't reply at first, crawling slowly out of the cage created by her sleeping partner's crossed arms. Mizuki put her hand out for Aiba to crawl into.

**"I apologize. I did not want to wake him."**

"Is... he okay...?" Mizuki asked.

 **"Just a little tired, but he'll be fine."** Aiba shrugged.

"That's a 'little'?" Mizuki frowned, looking down at Date as he snored into the coffee table. She hummed and hawwed to herself as if making some big decision, before eventually sighing.

"I dunno what happened, but... I'll let him have the bed. Just for tonight."

**"You're very sweet, Mizuki."**

She talked a big game, but when it came down to it, actually transporting him to the bed from the sofa was more difficult than Mizuki imagined. Knowing her insane strength, if she tried to pick him up, he'd probably go flying through the ceiling. She settled for dragging him there, not dissimilarly to how murderers drag their victim's bodies to dispose of the evidence. Aiba watched the proceedings, offering a word of advice here and there.

Once the task was complete, Mizuki heaved a great sigh and bounced back onto the sofa, satisfied with herself.

"Phew." She said. "That's what I get for trying to be nice. That dumbass better not be working late again..."

 **"Mizuki..."** Aiba began. **"I must tell you that Iris had a bad fall. Date and I were in the hospital with her until now. That is why we were late."**

"What? Is she okay?!" Mizuki leapt to attention.

**"She has a concussion and has to stay at the hospital for a few days while they check her out."**

"No way..." Mizuki breathed.

**"Do not worry. I am monitoring Iris's vitals right now, and they are steady as can be."**

"From all the way over here?"

 **"It's a long story. I gained a new function two weeks ago: to split my consciousness between separate bodies. For this reason, I had to turn Hitomi Sagan into a temporary host."** Aiba pulled another contact lens out of her body. **"By putting on one of these, you can view my human form, and I'll transfer a portion of myself to the user. I don't recommend splitting too many times, though, it diminishes my intellect significantly."**

"So Hitomi can see you now? And you can see Iris?" Mizuki was momentarily distracted by the new technology she was being exposed to.

 **"Yes."** Aiba said bluntly.

"So if I put one on, I'll be able to see your human form again?! And use all those cool vision modes Date told me about?! I can see through walls?!"

**"Yes to all of those. However, as I mentioned prior, it limits my intelligen-"**

Mizuki had already put it in.

 **"What did I just tell you?"** Aiba griped, her translucent form shimmering before Mizuki's eyes. Mizuki looked at her in shock for a second before launching herself off the sofa and across the room.

"Aibaaaaa!" She cried, going in for a crushing hug. Her body shot straight through the hologram and crashed directly into the speaker opposite.

"Ow! That hurt!"

 **"I should have mentioned, my human form is only _virtual._ It has no physical presence." **Aiba admitted as Mizuki nursed her bruised face. Date continued to snore in the corner despite the racket.

"Yes. You should have mentioned..." replied a slightly bitter Mizuki.

Aiba walked closer to the crumpled girl before kneeling down beside her. Transparent limbs pulled Mizuki into a weak hug. Despite the lack of physical sensation, Mizuki allowed herself to be guided inwards, curling up against Aiba in a frankly kind of uncomfortable position because there was no body to support her. Mizuki couldn't hear the heartbeat that should've been there as she nuzzled in. The only thing she could feel was a layer of static making her arms go numb, and honestly that was more likely to be from staying in the same position than anything the AI was doing.

They stayed like that for a while.

"Hey," said Mizuki quietly.

**"Yes?"**

"Do you think Iris will get better in time for Daddy's funeral? It's only two days away."

**"..."**

"On second thought, don't say it." Mizuki withdrew her question, finally collapsing back against the speaker. "I don't wanna hear it."

**"Mizuki..."**

"Alright!" She punched a fist in the air out of nowhere. "I'm bored of moping around! I'm going to take action!"

Aiba watched, bemused, as Mizuki whipped out her phone and started texting at lightning speed.

 **"What action are you taking, exactly?"** asked Aiba, getting up from the floor and moving to the sofa.

"I'm gonna make a thousand paper cranes for Iris. I only made about fifty the last time I tried, but if I get the rest of the A-Team to help me, we have a chance of pulling it off." Mizuki said.

 **"The A-Team?"** Aiba raised a brow in question, making Mizuki blush.

"Yeah... it's kinda embarrassing, but... Ota, Moma and I made this pact that we would always work together to support Iris. And then Iris gave us that nickname, and it stuck. A-Team, cause we're fans of A-Set."

**"That is embarrassing."**

"I know I can count on them, though." Mizuki admitted. "They'll help with the folding cranes, and then Iris will get better."

 **"I'm sure she would appreciate that."** Aiba smiled.

The remaining hours of the night were filled with the sounds of rustling paper, phone notifications, and Date's eternal snoring.


	5. 出來ない (dekinAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ma'am, this is my emotional support gay programmer

Even after being moved into Iris's hospital room, the sound of the waiting room's clock was burned into Hitomi's mind. She looked down at the girl sleeping in the center of the room, tracing a tender caress down the side of her face. With Iris's clothes changed and the blood washed out of her hair, she didn't even look injured. And still, _again,_ Iris was confined to this wretched place.

_Why did this have to happen now of all times?_

While Hitomi was trying to kill time in the hospital, she had only Aiba for company, which felt more surreal than reassuring. She'd tried out some 'vision modes' or something out of boredom, only to activate the X-ray and get the fright of her life when everyone in the room turned into a skeleton out of nowhere. Aiba suggested thermovision to ease her fears, and though seeing the warmth of life spread throughout Iris's body did help a little, Hitomi couldn't get the image of Iris's skeleton out of her head.

Hours passed in silence, with Aiba keeping a respectful distance and remaining quiet. The more Hitomi thought about it, the more confused she got. She decided to stop questioning things in her life for the sake of her own sanity.

Iris's scan had finished some time ago, but the doctor told her it would take some days for the results to come in. How many tedious days would they have to spend in this godforsaken hospital? What if Iris's tumour had come back? Would they have to live in fear of that possibility for the rest of their lives?

Iris's smile filled her head. Her dancing, her kind words, her nosiness, her disastrous cooking attempts, her _skeleton-_

Hitomi was pulled from her morbid thoughts by Aiba's voice.

**"Your phone is making a noise."**

"Ah!" said Hitomi, picking up her own phone. "I didn't even hear this go off. I must be really out of it. Thanks."

She clicked on her message notification to see a text from Date. Surprised to receive one so early, she read it.

《Saw this on my way home. Thought you might like it》

Attached was a picture of a flower taken from a great height. Hitomi supposed Aiba probably functioned as a camera too.

"The winter iris." Hitomi said automatically, staring at her phone screen.

**"For good news and hope, huh?"**

Hitomi couldn't help smiling. Aiba rolled her eyes.

**"So simple-minded..."**

Hitomi paid no attention as she slowly, with great effort, began to type out a response.

《You're right, I should have more hope. Our Iris never wilts.》

《Thank you for the lovely picture 😁😉😆》

Satisfied, she leaned back in her chair with an exhausted sigh. Then she suddenly felt the need to justify herself to the AI living in her contact lens.

"Iris taught me how to use these 'emokis'," Hitomi said, a little self-conscious as she put her phone down. Aiba's poker face was wobbling, like she was trying really hard not to laugh. Hitomi turned back to Iris, smiling gently over her, and took her hand. She pushed her worries down and tried to convince herself.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Iris. Just you get some rest."

* * *

Date was awoken in the morning by the chirping of birds outside. It took him a few seconds to realize he was on the bed instead of the couch, and another few seconds to realize his eye wasn't inside his head.

That damn Aiba. What was she up to this time?

"Morning, sleepyhead," said Mizuki as she looked up from her bowl of cereal. "Ew, don't go around with your empty socket, you'll put me off breakfast."

Date grumbled in response but winked anyway. "Where's Aiba?"

The AI in question rolled out from behind the cereal box. **"I am right here. Mizuki and I have been chatting for much of the night. Iris's state is still much the same, but stability is all we can hope for at times like these."**

"Right, our vision is linked with Hitomi. Can I see Iris then?"

The view of Iris's hospital room popped up. Hitomi could be heard softly humming to herself as she remained dutifully by her side.

"Right, how's Hitomi doing?" Date asked. "Yesterday must've been really hard on her."

 **"She is managing, thanks to you,"** Aiba replied.

"Huh? Are you being sarcastic?" Date frowned.

"Dense as a rock." Mizuki muttered under her breath.

"...Huh?" Date repeated, poured himself some cereal.

"More importantly, I'm gonna be heading to Sunfish Pocket today." said Mizuki. "Ota and I are gonna meet up and make paper cranes there, and go see Iris in the afternoon."

"I see. Good for you two."

"Moma said he'd get his lackeys to help too, I think we might really make a thousand this time." Mizuki grinned.

"That so?" Date said, shoving a spoonful into his mouth. "Guess I'll chip in too when I have the time."

 **"I wish I could help, but my paws are not suited for origami."** Aiba said regretfully. **"I will just have to be moral support."**

"Well, I've gotta get going." Mizuki stood up from the sofa. "I don't wanna miss the breakfast menu."

"Not yet you're not." Date interrupted, picking up Mizuki's scarf from the chair it was currently occupying and throwing it at her. "Put this on."

Mizuki fussed and complained, but she did as she was told before stomping out the door.

(Neither Date nor Aiba elected to comment on Mizuki's desire to eat a second breakfast.)

 **"So what should we do today, Date?"** asked Aiba.

"There's something I want to do, but I need to get permission from the Boss first." He replied. "Can you call her, Aiba?"

**"Affirmative."**

The phone rang for a bit before Boss picked up.

"Ah, good timing." She said. Judging from the scenery behind her, she was sitting on top of her desk again. "I was just about to call you."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "So... you didn't take anything from my office when you were here Friday, did you?"

"No, why?" Date replied.

"One of my portable tape recorders has gone AWOL and I can't find it anywhere." Boss sighed.

[Portable... tape recorder...?] Date thought. Aiba shrugged in a 'don't-ask-me' gesture.

"Are you sure it's not still in your office with all the other junk?" Date muttered.

"Rude! It's not junk!" Boss exclaimed. "Every item is meticulously and thoughtfully placed in the best possible position. It's Feng Shui."

"You probably misplaced it in that hoarder's paradise."

"..." Boss fell silent, deep in thought. "You're right. It's probably nothing. More importantly, how's your vacation going?"

"Not great. Iris was hospitalized yesterday." Date said.

"...I'm sorry to hear that." Boss's expression softened a little. "What happened?"

"She took a bad fall yesterday and the doctors want to make sure she's okay before they let her leave."

"I see." Boss bowed her head. "That's unfortunate, especially with Renju's funeral tomorrow..."

"...Yeah." nodded Date. "Actually, about that, I have a favour to ask you..."

* * *

"I can arrange that," said the Boss, a surprising lightness in her voice.

"Wait, really?"

"If you're willing to take responsibility, knock yourself out." She shrugged. "I don't think that guy will do anything, though. But the law means we have to take precautions."

"Understood. If anything happens, I will take full responsibility." Date said gravely.

"You sound so serious, relax." Boss waved a hand. "How about we go clubbing in Kabukicho later? Since I did you a favour and all..."

"I'll buy you some Dom P, but that's it."

"You drive a hard bargain."

* * *

The journey to Fuchu Prison was largely uneventful. Once they finally managed to get a parking space, Date walked in with his police ID in hand. It was the second waiting room he'd been in in 24 hours, and it wasn't any less daunting than the first. Barely anyone was inside, just one woman at the end of the corridor and an officer at the reception desk.

Date approached the desk, holding up the badge. "I'm here to see Pewter."

"I'm sorry, who?" The officer asked.

"Ah. I mean, Fuuta Amanoma?"

"Of course. My colleague here will escort you to the visiting area."

A familiar face came through the adjacent door, only to start once he realized what was going on.

"Well, if it isn't my old friend Kagami!" Date said, cheering up immensely.

"It's Kaniza!" Kagami shouted on instinct, only to go deathly pale. "...Wait, what?"

"Ah, my bad, of course you're Kaniza. Silly me." Date shook his head. "Come on then, let's go see Pew- Amanoma."

Kagami sulked, downcast, as he led the way through the many corridors to the visiting area. "But I'm... I'm Kagami... aren't I?"

"What's up with you..."

Kagami opened the door to the visiting room, where Pewter was already waiting, stationed behind a sheet of glass.

"I'll, uh, leave you guys to it." He said before excusing himself and leaving. Pewter watched him go with mild confusion on his face. Once the door was shut, Date sat down opposite Pewter and sighed.

"Long time no see." said Pewter, not betraying even a hint of emotion. He sat there expectantly, stifling a yawn. "Come to bust me out, have you? I got you out of prison, so now you've come to return the favour?"

"No. And that wasn't even me." said Date, frowning.

"Obviously I know that." Pewter clicked his teeth. "Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Even if I did escape, it's not as though there's anything worthwhile in the outside world."

A heavy silence permeated the air.

"Well, are you going to say what you're here for or not? I do in fact have all day, but I'd rather spend it in the lunch queue than sitting here waiting for you to remember how to form words."

"Uh, right." Date forced himself to snap out of it. He was just visiting an old co-worker, there was no need to be so on edge. Or at least, he hoped there wasn't.

"Well?"

"So... how long have the AiLites been a thing?" Date blurted out, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, those?" Pewter sniffed. "A couple weeks now. Did you only just find out? Is that why you're here, to interrogate me?"

"But... you've been in jail for months. How did you even get the technology to work on things for Aiba?"

Pewter glanced meaningfully at the door. "It may not be surprising, but I get somewhat special treatment as a former member of ABIS. If I want to tinker with something, I'm allowed to, as long as it's supervised. A man gets bored, sitting in a cell all day. I start thinking about far too many things when my mind starts to wander."

"Huh." Date raised an eyebrow.

"You could have called if that was it, you know." Pewter said, irked.

"No - no, it's not that. There's something else." Date shook his head. "Aiba, you wanna come out for this?"

Aiba wriggled out onto the desk, pressing a paw against the glass. There was no human warmth to be felt, only the cold partition between them. Pewter raised a finger to meet hers with a sad smile.

"I should apologize for what I did to you, Aiba. My own creation." He said.

 **"It is in the past. Besides, you and the Wadjet system were the ones who brought me back."** Aiba said bluntly.

Date had known her long enough to know when that uncaring, logical demeanor hid true hurt. Pewter took his finger away from Aiba's, eyes cast to the floor.

"So, about why we're here..." Date attempted once again. "Do you know what's happening tomorrow?"

Pewter nodded. "Renju's funeral. I'm aware."

"Well, I cleared it with the Boss and the rest of MPD. They're allowing you to attend, provided you stay under the surveillance of either myself or... Kakuma? No, Kagari... what was it again?"

 **"Kagami."** supplied Aiba helpfully.

"Yeah, that was it." Date said. "So best get ready, Pewter, we're taking you out tomorrow."

Pewter didn't speak for a while, conflicted expressions flickering across his face. Eventually, he closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Special Agent. But I will be declining this offer."

"What." said Date blankly.

"I'm declining your offer." Pewter repeated slowly, like he was talking to a toddler.

"But it- it's Renju's funeral." Date persisted, completely dumbfounded by this unexpected reaction.

"Yes, I know." said Pewter. "That's precisely why."

"But you were his lover!" exclaimed Date. "Don't you want to pay your respects to him...?"

"It's not about what I _want._ " Pewter turned away from the piercing gazes of his ex-colleagues. "I _can't_ go. A murderer's accomplice at the victim's funeral? Nothing could justify that. I happily aided Saito in his machinations. I myself was the final nail in Renju's coffin."

Aiba withdrew from the window, a sadness in her featureless face.

"Yes, you were deceived by Saito." said Date, taking a deep breath. "But he used Renju to manipulate you. I'm not gonna lie, you did some awful things, Pewter. But you only ever acted to benefit Renju, right?"

"Yes." whispered Pewter. "But-"

"You couldn't have known. Saito is responsible for his own sins, and you yours. But you aren't a murderer. You were used, Pewter."

"I should have known," Pewter said, a dull sort of shock slipping through his calm façade. "I should have been able to tell. I couldn't tell the love of my life from a serial killer. What right do I have to send him off with a smile?"

 **"It's a complicated situation, to be sure,"** muttered Aiba.

"You have as much right to mourn him as anyone else." challenged Date. "If you really don't want to go, then I won't force you, but..."

 **"You will feel even guiltier in the long term if you don't, don't you think?"** Aiba finished. **"Pewter, your cognition is warped. Whether you go or not, your brain will twist that into you betraying Renju. Self-blame is a perfectly normal and valid part of grief. But you must let go of your false beliefs at some point."**

Pewter pulled his glasses down further over his eyes. "To think my own creation would outgrow me so quickly... you really are splendid, Aiba. I'm proud of you."

Aiba was silent, but Date could hear the thoughts whirring in her head. So many different calculations and thoughts overwhelmed her systems. Date ended up putting her back into his eye socket, worried about the sudden increase in emotional output from his partner's thoughts.

"I don't know if you'll believe me, but..." he began, wringing his hands under the table, "Renju was my best friend, you know. And if he's even a fraction of the person I think he was, he would have wanted you to be there."

Pewter fell silent, uncertainty in every breath he took. Aiba was uncharacteristically quiet too.

When Date looked back, Pewter was checking his watch. He hadn't noticed until now that Pewter's watch was very similar to Renju's, only with more modifications.

They were a pair set, weren't they?

Aiba's soft tone was filled with regret as she mentally mulled over the situation. **[Master... I am sorry for not being able to support you, even though you made me. My calculations suggest I could have prevented you from going down this road.]**

[Are you okay?] Date offered a telepathic ear to her troubles, deciding to save the teasing for later.

 **[I am fine. More importantly, our time with him is almost up.]** Aiba replied.

"Is this it, then? You'd best be getting on." Pewter smiled wistfully. "A little birdie told me ABIS is working on a murder case."

Date didn't have the heart to tell him that he was not involved in said case anymore.

"Send the boss my regards, will you?" Pewter asked as Kagami re-entered the room to escort the visitors out. "Perhaps once my sentence is over, we should go for a drink at Marble. For old time's sake, you know?"

**[That's if Marble is still open by then.]**

[Don't jinx it!]

"Alright, whatever." Date gave Pewter one last glance before stepping out. "Come to the funeral. Or don't. It's up to you now."

Kagami gave an understanding look as they walked back to the waiting room. Pewter let out a sigh, slouching down over the desk, muttering to himself once everyone was out of earshot.

"What Renju would've wanted, eh..."

* * *

By the time the duo were on the road again, they were already arguing. Aiba was trying to be pensive and introspective, thinking through the morning's events, but Date wasn't making it easy.

"I should've asked him to mass-produce you, Aiba. Then whenever a criminal gets away, I can just rip you out and throw you at them, and you can self-destruct. Aiba-bombs. Man, I'd pay to see the looks on their faces."

 **"They would not have a face left."** She shut the idea down immediately.

"We could adjust the blast ratio a bit," persisted Date, "It would be a small explosion. Take off an ear at most."

 **"No."** said Aiba, turning in her seat with an irritated expression. **"And by the way, your dedication to blowing me up is concerning. Am I truly so disposable to you?"**

"Come on, Aiba. I was joking. You know that."

She pouted. **"I'm the most advanced AI in the world. People would kill to have me. You should show some respect."**

"How about you respect me first?" Date replied immediately.

Aiba pointed at something up ahead, leaning over the dashboard. **"Look. The hospital is on the horizon."**

"So that's a no then."

They got out of the car and headed inside the hospital. It was the peak of the afternoon, prime visiting hours, which meant that everyone and their dog was clogging up the corridors. Staff, students, families - everywhere you looked there was a different crowd mulling about. An inordinate amount of time was spent trying to figure out where Iris's room was, the heat and disorienting crowds making it hard to think. Eventually, though, they got there (albeit aided by a rather disgruntled janitor.)

Several familiar voices could be heard from outside. Date opened the door to see Mizuki and Ota sitting on plastic chairs by the bed, confirming his suspicions. Next to them was an awake if slightly groggy Iris, looking kind of silly with her hospital gown and cat-ear headphone combo.

"Iris! You're up. And the whole gang is here, apparently." He said as he looked around the room, half expecting Moma to be stuck to the ceiling.

Iris grinned. "Yep! I woke up a little while ago, and these guys were already at my side. I have the greatest friends ever."

Mizuki shook her head. "No, _you're_ the greatest friend ever, Iris!"

"No, you!" Iris insisted. "I mean, look at what everyone did for me!" She pointed to a corner, where a pile of what appeared to be origami cranes were unceremoniously dumped.

 **[There's only 112 cranes in there. Should I tell them?]** Aiba observed.

[Not worth it,] Date replied.

"I'm glad there are so many people here now," Iris continued obliviously, "It was so depressing before. It gets really boring in here. Mom did her best to keep me entertained, but..."

"Where is your mom?" asked Date.

"She went to talk to one of the nurses about something." She shrugged. "She'll be back soon, probably."

Mizuki opened her mouth to say something but was immediately drowned out by Ota's ringtone. Everyone fixed him with a prompt glare until he sheepishly shut it off.

"Ota, that's like the third time since you got here." Mizuki huffed. "Silence it already if you aren't gonna answer."

Ota did as he was told, looking embarrassed. "Sorry, I quit a bunch of my jobs this morning when I heard, so they've been bugging me about it..."

"I did tell you not to push yourself too much, but this is..." Date sighed. "You should've given notice."

"Well pardon my ass for listening to your advice!" Ota snapped.

"What's up with them...?" Iris whispered to Mizuki, who shrugged.

After a few more instances of light squabbling, Hitomi could finally be seen through the ward window, on her way back from wherever she had been. Date decided this was worth infinitely more of his time than the quarrel with Ota and excused himself to meet her in the corridor.

"Oh, hello," said Hitomi pleasantly.

"Hey. I wanted to, uh, talk to you out of the kids' earshot." Date gestured to the door.

 **"Out of those three, there is only one true 'kid'."** Aiba chimed in.

"Hello to you too, Aiba." Hitomi said. "Or the other Aiba? Do you remember our conversations since you split yourself between us?"

 **"I do,"** affirmed Aiba. **"An AI never forgets."**

"You seem pretty used to her already," Date observed.

"It was a shock at first, I'll admit." Hitomi chuckled. "But Aiba makes a good companion, so it's fine. I'm used to adapting to changes anyway, being a teacher and all."

"Yeah, of course," said Date, who didn't know what adaptability had to do with teaching.

Hitomi nodded to herself, apparently happy with this. "Anyway, you want to know about Iris, right?"

"If there's anything you can tell me..."

"Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news," Hitomi launched into it without giving them a choice, "is that there's no update on the scan results. But it has only been a day, so I suppose that was to be expected."

"And the good news?" Date prompted, folding his arms.

"Iris is up and speaking - as you probably already know." said Hitomi awkwardly. "It took some bargaining, but I managed to convince the staff in charge to let Iris out for Renju's funeral. It might be a bit morbid, but Iris said herself she'd never forgive herself if she missed it."

"I see. That's good." It wasn't 'good' exactly, but there wasn't a better word either. It should've made Date happy to know that Iris was well enough to do something she really wanted to. Maybe it was the unease from the words 'Iris' and 'funeral' being in the same sentence.

Hitomi looked similarly upset.

"He really did a lot for us," she murmured. "It was thanks to him that Iris and I were able to live comfortably. So I understand where she's coming from, but I can't help but worry."

"I know."

"Yes... and... I have to apologise to you, as well." Hitomi looked away, reluctance clear in her tone. "I didn't mean to, but I was trying out the vision thingies earlier today with the AiLite, and..."

Aiba gave her a look, as though prompting her to get a shared secret out in the open.

"I... kind of... ended up seeing through your eyes." Hitomi finished.

"Huh? That's okay. I was doing that too. Just to keep an eye on Iri-"

"I didn't mean to spy on you or anything." cut off an impatient Hitomi. "But I saw... the man with the green jacket who threatened us talking to you."

[Ah, shit.]

With everything else going on, what Pewter did to Hitomi felt like a distant memory. But of course, to her, it would be anything but.

"Yes, I spoke with Pewter." Date admitted, now wondering if that had been a mistake. He didn't think Pewter would act out, especially not at his boyfriend's funeral, but perhaps it had been wrong to make that assumption. His loyalties felt scattered all over the place, looking for an answer to appease everyone when there likely wasn't one.

[No... I can't start doubting myself now. I believe in Pewter, and I know remorse when I see it.]

**[I agree, but you should probably apologize just to be safe.]**

"Is he going...? Tomorrow?" Hitomi asked, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.

"I did invite him, and I know I probably should've said something sooner." muttered Date. "I'm sorry about that."

Hitomi shook her head. "No, I'm not trying to guilt-trip you, I apologize if it sounded like that. I just wanted Iris to be prepared... though knowing her, she's forgotten all about it already."

"He might come and he might not, I dunno. I'll be keeping watch if he does, but I think he's learned his lesson. Well, sort of."

Date finally noticed that there were chairs in the hallway all along and tried to casually slide onto one. Hitomi did the same.

"To be honest, I don't know what to think." He said, tilting his head back until it touched the wall. "Before all of this happened, he was a trusted colleague. A friend, even. But his love for Renju warped him."

"For Renju? I didn't know the two were acquainted." Hitomi held the tips of her fingers to her open mouth in surprise.

"Oh, they were _more_ than acquainted." said Date, a sleazy grin beginning to form on his face. "In fact-"

 **"Date."** Aiba shot him a warning glance.

Date's michevious expression immediately vanished. "...They were dating."

[Why'd you stop me?!]

**[Because the next words out of your mouth would have been, and I quote, 'they were boning each other in the raunchiest, kinkiest sex of their entire lives'. Which, by the way, is an assumption. We cannot assume they were doing any of that.]**

[Look at Pewter's costume and tell me that isn't some mad scientist roleplay fetish thing.]

**[...]**

"Renju was dating Pewter... that's a surprise to be sure." Hitomi looked just as in the dark as Date had been previously. "I didn't know he liked men. I wonder if that's why he divorced Shoko."

[To be fair, there are several good reasons to divorce Shoko.] Date thought automatically and quickly chastised himself. [Shit, I need to stop thinking ill of the dead.]

"Well actually I did some research," said Date, seeing an opportunity to impress, "At Marble, there's a painting of Saint Sebastian - it was a gift from Renju. I did some research and apparently, Saint Sebastian was a bit of an icon for gay, closeted men. So your theory holds weight."

"I see," said Hitomi.

 **[Why were you researching that anyway?]** Aiba mentally enquired

[I wanted to understand Renju. I thought there might be some meaning in the things he left behind...]

"Hey, cheer up! You look so gloomy all of a sudden." Hitomi laughed in that clear, bright, joyful tone that should have been reserved for angels. She leaned over and poked Date's cheek with her finger.

"I am not 'gloomy'." said Date, insulted.

"I'm kidding." Hitomi's eyes were soft, fond.

The door suddenly burst open, presumably kicked by Mizuki.

"Hey! What have you two..." Mizuki's voice died down as she took in the scene. "...been doing out here all this time...?"

Date decided that neither 'cheek poking' or 'discussing the lurid details of your late father's sexuality' were appropriate answers. He might have said no more secrets, but the latter was going to the grave with Renju tomorrow.

"Oh my. Visitor hours are over." Hitomi checked her watch. "I'm sorry, because of me, you didn't get much time to spend with Iris..."

"No, it's fine. Knowing that she's awake and doing well is enough." Date insisted.

The group said their goodbyes and split up at the entrance. Hitomi stayed at the hospital with Iris, Ota drove home in his van, and Date and Mizuki went back to their place in Old Faithful.

"You worried about tomorrow?" He asked on the way home.

"I'm not worried!" said Mizuki.

"It's okay to be worried. Or be sad. Or be angry." Date offered, pulling the mints out of the glovebox and passing one to her. "And before you ask, it's not a drug, it's a mint."

Mizuki frowned in confusion but took the mint nonetheless. After a while of chewing and crunching noises, she spoke.

"I might not be able to cry tomorrow."

Date looked at her with the Aiba eye. "Is that a problem?"

"I haven't been able to cry for a really long time. I want to, sometimes, but..." She curled up further in her seat. "I just can't. My body won't let me."

 **[This may be a defense mechanism. Mizuki's mother would hit her when she cried.]** Aiba ruminated. **[So, the body refuses to produce tears in fear of getting hit. Shoko has conditioned her body into believing she will be harmed if she cries.]**

"It's okay to cry." said Date. "But it's also okay not to. Everyone processes grief in different ways. No one will think any less of you if you can't cry."

Mizuki looked up at him, lost for words as the car pulled into familiar scenery. "...I... Thanks, Date..."

"No problem. Now, get inside and clean out the clione in the fridge," demanded Date.

"But I don't wannaaaaaaa-!"

Mizuki's anguished wail rang through the car park as the curtain of night closed on another eventful day.


	6. 乾杯 (kanpAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can have a little angst, as a treat

Rows of people dressed in blacks and greys filled up the pews. Mizuki was dressed in the same monotone dress she usually wore, but her jacket had been left behind at home. Without it, she felt so exposed. Her trusty yellow jacket with its wasp-like stripes was her final defense against the cruel, unfeeling world. There was no helping it, though - she'd never be allowed to wear that to a funeral.

Well, she supposed it wasn't exactly the funeral. It was Otsuya, the day-before ceremony. It was tomorrow when the actual funeral service occurred, but that was more a private thing for the family. Tomorrow was when it started getting difficult. As the only surviving members of the Okiura family, Mizuki, her paternal grandmother, and her great aunts and uncles would witness the cremation. They would pick out bones from the remains and transfer them into an urn, along with the ashes.

The thought of doing all that to Daddy made Mizuki feel physically ill. The only silver lining was that her maternal grandmother wasn't here. Mizuki never liked Grandmother. She was always so cold, uninterested. She'd always been negligent, but when Mom got pregnant, Grandmother abandoned her completely.

Mizuki was sure that Mom hit her because Grandmother was always horrible to Mom when she was a child. Mom's funeral had been even harder than this, because she'd had to face Grandmother, passing her Mom's bones between them with chopsticks. And even then, she barely seemed to bat an eye.

No. That was then, this is now. No point dwelling on the past.

"You've got this, Mizuki." she tried to psyche herself up.

"Hell yeah you do!" called a supportive Date from a few rows back. Every head in the room turned to look at him. He muffled out a 'sorry' and shut up.

As part of the immediate family, Mizuki was seated in the front row next to her Grandma (Renju's mother) and great aunts and uncles. She couldn't help but look around to see who came to attend. Many of Daddy's so-called friends had foregone the Otsuya, probably because he was the scapegoat for Mom's death. She couldn't blame them for suspecting him, but it still made her heart ache how quickly they'd abandoned her father.

In the row behind her, she could see Pewter and Inspector Kagami sitting together. She almost didn't recognise them, since Pewter was wearing an ordinary black suit and the inspector didn't have his mask on. She turned around in her seat to say something to them.

"Hey, Pewter! Hey, Inspector!" Mizuki greeted them.

"Hello, Mizuki." said the inspector. "I'm sorry for your loss..."

Pewter merely stared down at the ground, unable to look Mizuki in the eyes.

"Pewter..." Mizuki began, trying to come up with a way to extend the olive branch.

Pewter got up, shaking his head vigorously. "N... No. Inspector, I can't do this. I can't encroach on this sacred moment. Let's go back."

"Hey, Amanoma!" Kagami called. "Hold on a sec-"

Pewter was turning to leave when he felt a powerful grip on his arm. He looked back to see Mizuki giving him a plaintive gaze.

"Stay," she said softly. "Daddy loved you."

He felt his resolve dissolve with just a few heartfelt words. Hands close to shaking, he allowed Mizuki to guide him back to the seats. He tried to sit down next to Kagami again, but Mizuki's iron grip stopped him once again.

"Sit with me. Both of you." She smiled.

"Are you sure that's okay? The front row is reserved for family." Kagami pointed out.

"There's room. Plus, I'm the head of the Okiura household now," Mizuki shrugged. "What I say basically goes."

Pewter staggered into the seat without a second word, tears leaking out from behind his glasses.

"Apologies, I... can't seem to stop..." he panted out. Kagami patted him on the shoulder in a weak attempt at comfort.

"It's okay to cry," said Mizuki, her own eyes welling up.

* * *

A little further back, Date and Hitomi were watching the exchange. He let out a sigh of relief; it seemed there had been nothing to worry about. Aiba was projecting herself on the bench, right next to an unsuspecting Iris. As family friends, they had been grouped together. Iris stuck out like a sore thumb with her bright pink hair, which she'd respectfully covered with a black knit hat.

Date was surprised to see a fair number of Kumakuras in attendance, but he supposed it only made sense given their connection with Renju. Mama was there too, looking mightily different without her bright purple dress.

A priest came out to the front of the mourners, standing next to Renju's portrait, and the hushed whispers devolved into silence.

It was almost laughable how traditional the whole affair was. The priest said a few prayers and people got up one by one to offer incense by the casket. Nobody said a word about Renju being a murderer. Which was just as well really, but the elephant in the room weighed on all the guests' minds. Several of them looked as if they wanted to leave after only a few minutes. Nobody wanted to be caught sympathizing with a killer, but their respect for the Okiuras forced them to stay put.

After several suffocating hours, it was finally over. Once people started getting up, Date and the Sagans started heading over to Mizuki. She was awash in people offering their condolences and looked rather flustered by all the attention. There were even distant relatives she was too young to remember, but Date remembered some of them from hanging out with Renju.

"Mizuki, over here," called Iris, waving to get her attention. Relief immediately washed over Mizuki as she quickly excused herself to go be with her friends.

"Thank god, I thought they'd never leave me alone," said Mizuki, shaking her head. "They're all so two-faced. Always gossipping about Daddy, and then they come to me and act like they feel _sooo_ bad for me. Makes me sick."

"Are you okay? You have to come back here for the Ososhiki tomorrow, you know." Date asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. It wasn't as hard as Mom's funeral." Mizuki nodded. "I don't care what anyone says about Daddy anymore, anyway. The important people know the truth, and everyone else can go die."

"I was just about to tell you how proud of you I am, and then you added that last bit." Date sighed.

 **"Baby steps,"** said Aiba.

"So..." Mizuki looked around awkwardly. "What now?"

"Oh, I know!" Iris clapped her hands. "Can we get something to eat before I have to go back to the hospital? The food there is uber bland."

Hitomi looked doubtful. "I don't know, I think we'd better..."

She trailed off as everyone's gaze focused on something behind her. Mama approached the group, sobbing loudly into a tissue all the while.

"Oh, all of you!" She said, blubbering inelegantly. "Even Fuuta came here for poor Ren! I'm so glad you're all here..."

"No, thank you for coming, Mama," Mizuki said politely. As far as Mama knew, Renju had killed Shoko, and yet she still came to pay her respects.

"Who is this?" Hitomi whispered to Date.

"The owner of Marble. She's a good friend of ours." He replied.

Mama smiled weakly, still crying a little. "I heard you guys were looking for somewhere to eat? Come on over to my place. I'll give you a meal on the house."

Iris looked confused. "I'd prefer it on a plate."

"Iris... no..." Hitomi murmured.

"Hey, I want in on this too!" another voice cried from behind.

Moma stotted up to the strange collection of misfits, leaning his elbow on Mama's shoulder.

"Hi, Moma." Iris said pleasantly.

"Tesa, if you're goin', I'm goin'. Been wanting to get blackout drunk since I heard you got sick again." Moma said with a proud smile on his face.

"Maybe don't aspire to that." commented Mizuki.

"We're not getting any alcohol." Date lectured. "I have to drive and Mizuki and Iris are underage."

"Well, sorry that you hate fun, but I'm gonna get absolutely sloshed and pass out in a ditch somewhere." Moma retorted.

 **"He has a very strange idea of fun."** observed Aiba. Mizuki nodded, curling up to her.

A sudden tap on the shoulder made Date turn around, only to be surprised by Kagami and a bashful-looking Pewter. Kagami gestured to his companion and cleared his throat. "He, uh, has something to say to you guys."

Date watched warily as Pewter shuffled through their group, feet coming to a halt in front of Iris and Hitomi. They looked at him with equal amounts of confusion.

"I must apologize profusely for what I did to you and your daughter, Miss Sagan," Pewter bowed his head. Hitomi looked taken completely off-guard, while Iris just stared innocently.

"What's this now?" Mama chimed in. She was promptly shushed by Mizuki.

Hitomi didn't know exactly how to react to such a straightforward apology. She never expected this to happen. "Uh... I..."

"You don't have to say anything. In fact, please feel free to berate me if you wish." Pewter said, still bowing.

[God I wish Hitomi would berate _me._ ] Date whispered internally.

 **[Shut up.]** Aiba responded without missing a beat.

To everyone's surprise, Iris stepped forward and kneeled down so she was at eye level with Pewter.

"You're the one who worked with Saito, aren't you?" She said.

"...Yes." said Pewter, not bothering to explain himself.

"Why?" She continued, frowning. Date almost found himself feeling sorry for Pewter. Being interrogated by Iris was not a pleasant thing.

Pewter sighed and decided it was best to tell it like it was. "He took the body of someone very important to me."

"Oh my god." Iris gasped. "Did he seduce you?!"

"He did nothing of the sort!" Pewter burst out, surprisingly flustered. The remaining guests turned to look at the commotion.

"He totally seduced him," Date whispered to Hitomi, who giggled quietly.

"Ew, all of you shut up." Mizuki rolled her eyes.

Iris extended her arm and flicked Pewter on the forehead.

"There!" She humphed. "That's what you get for falling for my stupid brother's stupid lies."

[Oh yeah, I kinda forgot that Iris and Saito were related.]

"Is... that all?" Pewter frowned.

Iris shrugged. "I'm too sick to hold any grudges right now, so you get off easy! And you brought Aiba back, so let's call it even."

"What are you people talking about?" Mama piped up in the background. Date was quick to intervene before they caused even more commotion. Plus, talking like this knowing Renju's body was in a casket only a few feet away was creeping him out.

"Alright, let's go already." He said, ushering the rest of the group out the door. Mizuki lingered a second in the hall, closed her eyes briefly, and walked out. On their way out, Date made eye contact with Pewter and smiled awkwardly. He smiled quickly in return and went back to talking with Kagami.

* * *

Mama had closed up shop early to accommodate the unexpected guests. Not that it mattered much, since there was rarely any clientéle during the day at Marble. There wasn't enough room at the counter for everyone, so Mizuki and Iris were lounging around at a table. The adults sat up at the bar, chatting away to Mama about anything and everything.

Hitomi in particular seemed to be having a lot of fun, laughing and joking around with Mama despite having only really met her today. Date could hear Iris and Mizuki talking about... chupacabras, apparently. He decided to block that conversation out and instead focus on the woman at his side.

"Hey, Hitomi?" Date said tentatively.

"Yes?" She said, turning to look at him.

"This might be a weird question, but-"

They were interrupted by a drunken Moma, already frothing at the mouth, banging his glass off the counter. "I wanna'nother one! And... make it fuckin' shnappy, yahear?"

Mama barely looked up from the bonito she was polishing. "Don't you think you've had enough?"

Moma made a face. "Y'don't understand... 'm drinkin' to Tesa's health!"

Hitomi hid her grimace with a polite smile. "I'm glad you support my daughter so much, but you should really take it easy, for your _own_ health."

"Shaddup! No one tells Moma Kumakura what..." He seemed to forget his sentence in the middle of it and suddenly leaned over the counter past Hitomi. Then he proceeded to snatch Date's glass out of his hand and knock it back.

"Hey!" Date cried, affronted.

"White wine, huh..." Moma frowned. "Weak shit, man. But it'll do. Mama, anotha' round..."

 **[That was water, wasn't it...?]** Aiba marvelled.

[He's so drunk he didn't realize...]

Mizuki and Iris got up from their seats and approached the adults, anticipation in their eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Hitomi asked. Iris and Mizuki looked at each other and whispered conspiratorily before Mizuki finally spoke up.

"C-Can we have a toast?" She asked, fiddling with her sleeves. "To Daddy and Mom, and to Iris's health..."

She trailed off, seemingly losing her nerve, before steeling herself and meeting their gaze. "And to Manaka Iwai, too."

Hitomi blinked.

"That part was Iris's idea." Mizuki explained. "She said we should celebrate getting closure for Manaka. And so Miss Hitomi can start to heal..."

"You didn't need to say all of that!" Iris said, blushing. "I... I wanted to do it for you, Mom. I didn't know her, but she was your BFF, and you kept her secret all this time..."

Hitomi put her good arm around Iris. "Oh, Iris... thank you..."

"It's far too sentimental in here for a sensitive soul like me!" Mama burst out. "Let's toast and celebrate!"

Chairs shuffled against the ground as everyone converged in the middle of the bar. Glasses were raised; two with soda, one with coffee, and two with nothing at all because Moma drank all the water.

"To Ren and Iris!" Mama declares enthusiastically, clinking her bonito against the other glasses. "And Manaka, whoever that is..."

A cacophany of chipped glass filled the building as everyone knocked their drinks together. Date pretended to drink from his glass full of air, making Mizuki snort-laugh. Iris, meanwhile, was downing an entire bottle of soda like it was a shot.

He was about to go sit back down when Aiba spoke up.

 **[Date, a call from the Boss.]** She informed.

"Gotta take this," he muttered to the others as he walked to the door and slipped out onto the streets of Golden Yokocho. Within seconds, Boss's video was in sight.

"Hello, you've reached Marble, would you like to place an order?" asked a jovial Date.

"This isn't the time!" Boss snapped. "We messed up. We messed up bad."

"Hey, calm down." Hearing Boss so on edge was a bit disconcerting. "What did we mess up exactly?'

"Listen to this," she said darkly, her arm reaching forward. Date could hear what he aasumed to be a video playing, with people talking. It took him a full twenty seconds to realize the voices were his and Boss's.

_"Alright, we're not getting much out of her. Fire up the machine."_

_"Understood. You've got six minutes, Date."_

"This is..." Date gasped.

Then there was a sound like a tape recorder being fast-forwarded.

 _"I don't know anything, I swear!"_ a man's voice cried out.

Date felt a chill run up his spine when he heard Boss's response. _"Is that so? Well, whatever. We'll find the truth when we go inside your head."_

The tape continued in a repetitive way, with subjects being interrogated and then Boss instructing the Psync. Different voices, different people, same conversation. Boss maintained eye contact the whole time, clearly trying to keep it together.

 **[These are... the interrogations...]** Aiba gasped.

"What's the meaning of this?" Date asked Boss directly.

"Isn't it obvious?" She snorted, indignant. "Someone sent this recording to me on To-Witter along with a threatening message. Me, being blackmailed? I can't help but laugh at the irony."

"Wha-" Date could barely comprehend what he was hearing. Someone got dirt on ABIS, even after all the preventative measures they took? "How did they record that? We confiscate everyone's electronics at the door..."

Boss sighed. "They must have been the one who took my portable tape recorder. I have to record all interrogations for legal reasons, so if they have that, they have a wealth of context clues on all of us. Our identities, our organization, even our subjects will be at risk if this gets out..."

"Dammit... this is bad..."

"It's beyond bad! Not only will all our lives be over, it'd be an _international_ scandal if the public knew!" Boss burst out. "And if someone were to find out about the body-swap function..."

"Calm down, Boss." said Date. "You said they sent it to you, right? So they haven't made it public yet."

"Not that I know of." Boss muttered.

"What do they want? Is it money?"

"That's... kind of the problem." She said evasively, scratching the back of her neck. "The message they left was... cryptic, to say the least." The camera shook a little as she went to sit down at her laptop and read said message aloud.

_"You people have something of mine. I have something of yours. Return what you took to where you found it, and this recording won't go public. It's queued for upload at 10 pm tomorrow, so be sure to hurry. If you refuse to comply, your organization is finished. I'm sure it won't take long for Japan to sink into chaos once they realize what their authorities have been capable of all this time."_

**[They've given us an ultimatum...]**

"What do they mean, we took something? What did we take?" exclaimed Date.

"I don't know." replied Boss. "I tried messaging the account and asking that, but they just said that we should already know."

"Talk about unreasonable..."

"Also, I looked into their profile, but it was a new one. No description, and the name was a string of letters." Boss added. "Couldn't find any clues as to their identity. They almost certainly created that account solely for this purpose. That's why I need you and Aiba to catch this guy and neutralize the situation."

 **[So she wants us to look into it... well, with my abilities, it should be easy.]** Aiba said with a smug tone.

"Can you do that for me?" Boss asked.

**[I can. All we have to do is find the computer they used, and I should be able to extract whatever data's on that PC.]**

Date relayed what Aiba said to Boss, who sighed in relief.

"Seriously, I owe you for this, guys." She shook her head sadly. "I know I put you on suspension, but... with this security breach... I couldn't trust anyone else at ABIS with this. After all, the culprit could be a mole or goverment spy."

"S...Spy?" Date repeated, flabbergasted.

"Well, maybe not. But I've become paranoid. It's true that the culprit has to have been someone who's been inside the facility, and I can't take any chances. I need you on this, stat."

"Understood. I'll head over and have Aiba take a look at it."

"Thank you." Boss said, wearing her rarely-seen serious expression.

"Don't thank me yet, we've still got a mystery to solve." Date hung up and went back inside Marble, taking his coat off the hanger.

"Aw, going somewhere already?" Mama asked, tilting her head as she brushed the bonito ever more viciously.

"Work emergency," replied Date vaguely.

"Does that mean the party's over?" Iris whined, blowing bubbles into the top of her cream soda.

"Not necessarily. I just gotta bolt." He looked over at Mama and Hitomi. "Could I ask you guys to keep an eye on Mizuki for a bit? I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"Huh?" said Mizuki.

Mama looked surprised. "That's fine, but... is everything okay?"

"I'll explain later, it's time sensitive. Thanks a bunch."

And with that he walked out of the bar, much to the bafflement of the remaining patrons. Mama was the first to break the silence.

"Refill, anyone?"

* * *

There was a tense silence in the air as Date and Aiba took the elevator down to the -6th floor of the MPD. Confusion and worry swirled about in equal measure, all sorts of problems clogging up Date's mind. He'd taken Aiba out, knowing it would be easier for her to talk to the Boss directly.

"Maybe I should have brought Mizuki." He thought aloud. "Rushing out on her after her dad's funeral is a dick move, even for me."

 **"It cannot be helped,"** said Aiba, her calm voice grounding him back in reality. **"We do not have time to drive her back and forth. Besides, she is surrounded by friends."**

"What if something happens? If Psyncing goes public, everyone who knew about it could be in danger too. The subjects knew this secret the whole time. Society will turn against them if it finds out that civilians also knew about the system."

 **"That is a valid concern."** Aiba admitted. **"But it's too early to panic. Besides, if anything happens, either Mizuki or Hitomi can contact us via AiLite."**

"Mizuki has one of those things too?"

**"That is irrelevant for now."**

The elevator door opened and Date burst through into the corridor, legging it down to Boss's office. She was waiting, sitting in her actual chair for once. Hell must have frozen over.

"Boss."

"Here, look." Boss beckoned him to come look at her computer screen. The profile was open, completely blank. There were no pictures or personalization of any kind. "This is the guy. Or girl. I'm gonna cut to the chase. Aiba, I need you to identify them."

**"I'm on it."**

"Use any means necessary, okay?" Boss muttered. "If it comes down to it, I grant you express permission to break the law."

"That's not something the chief of police should be saying," said Date. "You're corrupt as they come."

"Maybe so, but if I wasn't corrupt, you'd be out of a job, Mr. Assassin." She replied immediately.

Date couldn't think of a good retort, but he wasn't about to let that stop him. "I prefer Mr. Ass."

The Boss rolled her eyes. "No wonder you're into feet, since you enjoy putting your own in your mouth so often."

 **"Will the two of you pipe down?"** Aiba butted in. **"I'm trying to do something here. You could afford to be more serious."**

"Sorry, Aiba," said Boss, feigning bashfulness. "Dirty jokes are our coping mechanisms."

"There isn't even anything to do while we're waiting on your hacking." murmured Date. "I'm bored."

**"What are you, a child?"**

"We don't have time to be sitting around." Boss said, raking through her desk drawers. Despite her prior cheerfulness, she'd once again snapped into deadly-serious mode without warning. She produced a pile of paper and slapped them down on the desk. "These are the consent forms of every person who was brought to ABIS, from around the start of this month. I know I had my recorder at least before that."

"So all these people are suspects," Date finished, taking the top sheet and squinting at the letters. There were no faces to go on, only signatures, as part of the confidentiality agreement.

The names started to blend together after a while.

_Yuri Tennou, Mikoto Hayama, Haruki Nakano, Emi Marukage, Kei Shiraishi, Suzanosuke Ichida, Rei Tanaka, Nobuo Satou, Kiyoteru Sanada, Yoruko Miura, Kujou Sakura, Ryuto Mori, Sanae Agashi-_

"I don't really remember these people, to be honest." he said.

"Better start, then." Boss said. "Can you think of anything you've confiscated that might be relevant? Maybe this person didn't get their phone back or something."

"No way. Security makes triple sure nobody loses anything in this building." Date shrugged. "You raked me over the coals about it my first day. Any items dropped or placed here might be listening devices."

"Exactly. But that doesn't change the fact they want something from us." Boss folded her arms.

"Have you trie-"

"And yes, I already offered a sizeable bribe. It was rejected." She scrolled down further on the message history to show him the conversation. "I've been watching the Psync recordings to look for clues, but nothing's leaping out at me."

"This thing we supposedly stole..." Date mused, grasping at straws. "You don't think it's something intangible? Like, 'privacy' or 'sanity'?"

"I doubt it. They specifically asked for it to be returned to 'the place where it was'." Boss shot down.

"I have no idea." said Date. "Unless there's been more body-swapping shenanigans that we're unaware of..."

"Don't even joke about that." said Boss. "Impossible."

"I'm not joking. We didn't think it was possible for a prototype to still exist, but look what happened, right?" Date persisted.

"That's not what I mean. Apart from the ones involving you, Saito and Rohan, there were no other swaps." Boss said, injecting more force into her voice. "Nobody else knew how the prototype worked. And if it had been done here at ABIS, I'd have known about it."

Date fell silent, dissecting her words. Eventually, he spoke up. "I'm gonna go down to the Psync Room. See if it jogs my memory. Maybe there's some kind of clue there."

"Okay," said Boss. "I'll wave if Aiba finishes up while you're there."

 **"Hopefully this will bring some peace and quiet."** Aiba sighed.

* * *

Down at the Psync room, it was eerily quiet. Date found himself missing the quarrels of his colleagues fairly quickly. He had a look around just in case, but there wasn't anything that looked out of place. He didn't need Aiba's vision modes to know the place was exactly how he left it.

Speaking of...

[Aiba?] He called mentally. There was no response.

[Can you hear me from up there?]

Still nothing. To be fair, she was several flights of stairs above him, and it was raining again tonight. All these factors could be interfering with their connection.

Date sat down on one of the Psync seats out of habit and allowed himself to be alone with his thoughts. It was the first time in a while.

The first and most important thought was, [we are so royally fucked.]

But there was another thought niggling at him, a sudden realization that struck him like a bolt of lightning while he was talking to Boss. Something with implications so insidious, it could change everything.

[She lied just now...]

[She said there were no other swaps. But the day I came to her office and confessed to her about Falco... She immediately suggested using the machine to swap with Rohan. How would she have known it was possible if a switch hadn't already taken place?]

[The first ever swap done via the Psync System. Who did it involve, and what happened?]

He mulled over what to do about it. Should he confront her? Perhaps it was better to wait and get Aiba's input on the matter. God, why did all this have to happen now anyway, in the midst of Iris's cancer scare? He should be focusing on her right now, not whatever the hell was happening with ABIS. It must have been some kind of karma.

He'd been naive to think he could go back to a normal, peaceful life after learning about his past as a killer. This must be punishment for sweeping his sins under the rug. But what else could he do? What was he supposed to do?

"Alright, enough moping around." He announced to himself, dragging his lethargic body off the seat. If he stayed still any longer he'd start to psyche himself out, or worse, fall asleep. The current situation demanded an all-nighter.

Upon his return to the control room, Boss and Aiba quit their whispering and looked up from their work.

"Not yet," said Boss, reading Date's mind.

"How long will this take?" He asked.

 **"I apologize. My hacking is substantially more difficult due to the weather messing with the Wi-Fi."** Aiba bowed her little rodent head.

"...It's fine. You're doing your best." Date gave a half-smile.

"I'm gonna fall asleep... I need some damn coffee." Boss yawned, her eyes watering. "Date, go to my office and brew me some."

"We don't have a coffee grinder any more."

"We have the bike."

Date frowned. "The stationary bike?"

"The one that someone, who will not be named, turned into a coffee grinder." said Boss darkly. She was clearly still harboring a grudge over that one.

"You're gonna make me grind beans via cycling at this hour of the night?" Date whispered, hoping it wasn't so.

Aiba's tone was smug as she languished on the keyboard, waiting on a load screen. **"Pedal like your life depends on it."**

"I hate this job." said Date sadly.


	7. 兄弟 (kyoudAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for inconsistent uploads, but you already know i cant stick to a schedule for shit TT-TT life's a b

As night fell over Tokyo, the ABIS team were working tirelessly. That meaning only Aiba, of course. Next to her in the control room was the Boss, who was trying hard not to nod off. Her head kept drooping and then startling to attention as she realised she was drifting away to sleep. Aiba hoped that she'd get some rest herself once all this was over and done with.

 **"Boss,"** she said, gently nudging the woman's arm with her entire body. **"Are you okay?"**

Boss wiped her eyes and mumbled something unintelligible, still half-lost in the recesses of slumber. "Hmmgh... yeah, don't worry about me. Just tired."

Aiba looked at her a second more, pensive. In a lower tone, she spoke.

"There's... been a development."

Boss rocketed off the desk immediately, sobering up in seconds. "You found the blackmailer?!"

 **"No, not yet. I meant the other thing."** Aiba replied, bowing her head awkwardly. Boss seemed to deflate, not willing to expend precious energy on anything other than the task at hand.

"What other thing?" she asked, yawning.

 **[Her mental faculties are hazy... poor Boss. She really needs a rest,]** Aiba commented to herself before refreshing Boss's memory. **"My investigation, remember? I told you some time ago that I'd be going back into Date's Somnium to look for clues."**

"What exactly are you hoping to find?" Boss asked, resting her chin on her hand.

 **"I don't know. I don't know what, but there's something going on with our memories. Events that never happened seem so clear to me at times, and he's had dreams similar to those visions.** **"** mused Aiba. **"I realize now probably isn't the best time to discuss it, but I don't know when we'll get to be alone again."**

"And the results of your investigation...?"

 **"Four."** said Aiba. **"Four new mental locks. The last time I was there, we undid all of them. But at some point, different ones formed. I don't think he even knows that he knows something. There must be memories still repressed."**

"So you weren't able to undo them."

**"I was not."**

Boss sighed and leaned over to click the mouse. They'd waited so long the computer had been about to go inactive. She glanced at her miniature companion, something unsaid left in her eyes.

"Is it necessary to keep it a secret?" She asked instead.

 **"It's not a secret, exactly. Just not something to bring up now."** Aiba shook her head. **"There's too much on everyone's plates right now. All of you are humans with emotions. Mourning, hospitalization, scandal... If Date has anything else to worry about, it will compromise his focus on the current situation."**

"Okay, I see where you're coming from..." Boss nodded. "It's your call, Aiba. For now, let's lay low and prepare the counterattack against our blackmailer."

**"Not so much a counterattack as damage control..."**

The door burst open, and a wheezing Date stumbled back into the control room, a cup of coffee in each hand. He slammed one down in front of Boss and then slumped back into a chair.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Boss smirked.

"Easy... for you... to say..."

Before anything else could be said, a phone started ringing shrilly. Date nearly jumped out of his skin and Boss came precariously close to knocking over her precious coffee. She took her phone off the desk and answered it.

"Hello... Oh, hi there!" Boss said, putting in some effort to be cheerful. "...Yeah, I know about it. It's a work in progre- _what?"_

She was trying hard to stay calm, but there was visible irritation on her face.

"Listen, Iris, thanks for telling me. I appreciate the help but- no, sorry. I REALLY have to go now and fix all this. I'll talk to you later."

Boss proceeded to hang up with extreme prejudice.

"Iris has your number?" asked Date.

"Sure does. I'm kind of a big sister type, wouldn't you say?" Boss smirked. "Can't help but be a role model for young women."

 **"I don't know about that."** interjected Aiba.

"Me neither." agreed Date.

"You jerks could at least pretend to humour me..." She muttered as she sat back down in front of yet another monitor, keys clicking violently as she typed.

"So what did she say?"

Boss didn't respond for a second and continued to pound the keyboard. Eventually, she moved away from the screen to show them. "Someone she follows on To-Witter made a post about us. 'Next Target: ABIS'."

"The blackmailer?" He asked.

"Probably." said Boss. "Someone called 'Funyarinpa Blogs'. Some kind of internet vigilante who gets their kicks out of doxxing anyone they perceive as a wrongdoer."

Date was confused. "What the hell is a funyari-"

**[Don't say it!]**

"They never intended on giving us until the deadline, did they?" Boss clicked her teeth. "They're enjoying watching us squirm."

 **"On the contrary, I believe they will uphold their end of the bargain."** Aiba said. **"If they only wanted to expose us, they'd have done so already. Plus, their post only includes our name and nothing else. It's a warning to us."**

"That's not very reassuring." said Date. "How are people reacting to the post?"

Boss looked at the comments. "They don't know what ABIS is, of course. But they're excited to see someone get exposed anyway. With all these people spurring them on, it's no surprise our friend Funya let it go to their head. Seems like they've been targeting bigger and bigger internet personalities."

"Geez..."

"I doubt most people are taking it seriously, though." Boss said. "They're treating it like some ARG and having fun theorizing. Also memes."

 **"Our life's work, reduced to this..."** Aiba sighed.

Boss refreshed the page. "Oh, look. They're having a flame war now."

Before she could get further invested in the argument, the computer let out a beep. Aiba's tracing was finished.

"Oh!"

Everyone crowded around the screen as Boss clicked back onto the loading tab. "Any results?"

Aiba bobbed her gelatinous body up and down. **"I have traced the location of the computer used. It's connected to Wi-Fi from an internet cafe in the heart of Tokyo, OishiiNet. Commonly known as 'OiNet'."**

"That's not far from Sunfish Pocket," Date gasped.

"Then what are you waiting for?" exclaimed the Boss. "Get out there! If you hurry, they might still be there!"

"Right!" Date nodded, swiping Aiba up from the desk and getting ready to go. Boss looked just a bit more hopeful now, savouring the thought of new leads.

The two got back into the car and floored it to OiNet.

* * *

Texts were coming in left and right as Date tried to focus on driving. Aiba was busy keeping an eye (pun intended) on social media feeds for any further secret leakage. Funyarinpa Blogs did not answer any comments directed at them in the thread, even when relentlessly tagged by followers. The notification sound was really starting to grate on Date's nerves by now.

"Aiba, what time is it?" He asked, trying to drown out the constant beeping. "And can you turn that down?"

Aiba gave a dead stare. **"It's** **half past midnight. And no, I can't. I need to be alerted when the case progresses."**

"Ugh... already that late... I hope Mizuki has her keys on her. She has her keys on her, right?"

**"She's at home. I checked the AiLite."**

"Thank god..."

 **"Oh?"** Aiba said curiously. **"The thread's been removed by the To-Witter mods."**

"Wait, what?" Date asked, momentarily losing focus. The car veered dangerously to one side.

 **"Watch the road!"** snapped Aiba. Date immediately faced forwards again and tried to fix the trajectory, swearing under his breath and ignoring the honks of other drivers.

"When this is over, I'm gonna sleep for a week straight." He said, popping another mint in the hopes it'd be strong enough to wake him up a bit. "So, you were saying?"

 **"The thread declaring the intention to target ABIS. It's been taken down."** The AI repeated, ever patient. **"Likely because a user called 'Pongo Ponko' was spamming NSFW gifs non-stop in the replies. And then others joined in."**

"Pongo Ponko?" echoed Date. "Isn't that one of Ota's alts? Should've known he'd be all over this net drama."

 **"Affirmative. It is likely that the other accounts are also being operated by him."** Aiba nodded.

"An unorthodox method to be sure, but it should buy us some time, at least. Heh, gotta thank the kid properly next time we see him." Date hadn't been expecting Ota of all people to be backing up ABIS, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Hopefully this would quell the discussion about the nature of Funya's next target... or alternatively, it could fan the flames even more. Either way, there wasn't time to think about it.

They arrived at OiNet soon after. Date had walked past it dozens of times, but never taken much notice. Aiba climbed up his shoulder and jumped back in place.

 **[It looks seedy.]** She observed. The neon lighting on the side of the building flickered relentlessly, lighting up the entrance welcomingly before plunging it back into darkness. If if weren't for the sign, nobody would have known it was an internet cafe.

Date opened the door. It didn't look much better inside, either. There weren't many customers hanging out at this hour - only the dim blue glow of laptop screens signaled anyone inside. He was about to start interrogating the next customer he laid eyes on when a gentle tap on the shoulder made him pause.

A teenage boy, maybe eighteen or nineteen, was staring at him with a blank smile from behind the reception desk. "Excuse me, are you here to use our computers or have you brought your own?"

"I'm looking for someone," replied a spaced-out Date.

"If you want to use the cafe's computers, you have to sign your name," the employee explained, sliding a sheet of paper across the desk.

"Thanks, but..." Date took his badge out of his pocket. "I'm with the MPD. And as I said, _I'_ _m looking for someone."_

The employee stifled a sharp gasp. "Is there a criminal in here? A-Are they a murderer?"

"Nothing like that. I just need to find an important witness." Date picked up the sign-in sheet and narrowed his eyes at it, reading the list of names. One in particular stood out to him.

Kei Shiraishi.

 **[We Psynced with him Friday!]** Aiba exclaimed. **[He was inside the facility. He was in the interrogation room with Boss before the policemen brought him to us.]**

Date broke away from the reception desk, pocketing the paper. The receptionist weakly tried to reach for it back, but Date was long gone by then.

He walked through the rows of abandoned computers, checking out each customer until he found Kei. And at last, there he was - a lanky, slightly unkempt man who looked like he hadn't had a wink of sleep since his birth.

"You're Kei Shiraishi, right?"

The man turned with an annoyed expression which quickly gave way to recognition. "You-!"

"And on top of that, you're also Funyarinpa Blogs on To-Witter," Date continued.

"What? Where is this coming from?" Kei said, letting out a nervous chuckle. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You were the only one who could've pulled it off! You were in the facility and the interrogation room!" Date didn't let up the assault. "On top of that, you're here. Let me guess, you use OiNet computers so people can't trace you through IP."

"You're talking crazy. I never went to any interrogation place or whatever." insisted Kei, crossing his arms with a 'hmph'.

Date didn't say anything; he just pulled out a stack of paper and set it down in front of his suspect.

"What's this?" asked Kei.

"Consent forms from ABIS." said Date, rifling through them until he found what he was looking for. He put Kei's form at the top of the pile. "It says your name."

"N-No, it doesn't." Kei persisted, looking to the side as he transparently searched for a good cover story. "I spell my name with the kanji for 'excellent'. This one uses the kanji for 'blessing'. It must be someone else."

"Oh really?" asked Date, pulling another sheet out of his pocket and placing it side-by-side with the consent form.

**[The cafe sign-in sheet! Good thinking.]**

"For one thing, when you came in here, you wrote 'Kei Shiraishi' on the sign-in - with the kanji for 'blessing'. So that crap about your name is a bold-faced lie. Secondly, the handwriting matches. This is your name on both sheets."

"..." Kei glared. "Okay, fine! You got me. That's one thing, but you can't prove I'm that Funyarinpa person on To-Witter!"

"That's true. But let's see." Date leaned past him to open the tab still active on the computer, and immediately got his hand batted away.

"What are you doing?!" demanded Kei.

"I was just curious what you were looking at before I got here," Date shook his head with a smirk. "But it seems like that would be a problem for you."

"You goddamn...!"

"Okay, I won't look at this tab." Date was having way too much fun with this. After the panic Funya had induced at ABIS, seeing the culprit flounder was intensely satisfying. "I should take a peek at this computer's browsing history instead. Surely you have nothing to hide, right?"

Kei's face reddened with rage. "You cops are all bastards... now you're gonna silence me because I know the truth about your wicked ways?! That's-"

"Yeah, something like that," said Date, pinning the man's hands behind his back and slapping on some cuffs. "You're coming to ABIS with me. The Boss can decide what to do with you."

"You're arresting me? I haven't done anything wrong!" Kei exclaimed as he was marched back out of the building

"Theft, blackmail, probably a whole bunch of cybercrime too. Those things are illegal, you know." Date reminded him before ushering him into the back of the car. He wasted no time in getting in and starting the drive back to ABIS. Aiba was projecting next to him as per usual.

**[You know, I was almost impressed back there. You managed to resolve a situation without resorting to starting a gunfight.]**

"Don't make it sound like gunfights are my answer to everything!"

"What?" Kei muttered from the back, the alarm in his face clearly reflected in the rear-view miror.

"No, not you."

 **[Well, I suppose that is mission accomplished.]** Aiba said. **[Though we still need to interrogate him and make him give back Boss's tape recorder.]**

[Good work, Aiba. Your hacking really saved the day.] Date replied with a smile.

 **[What's this? A genuine expression of gratitude?]** Aiba gasped, mouth open wide in mock surprise.

"You said I should appreciate you more, didn't you?" shrugged Date. "Make up your mind, geez..."

"Seriously, who are you talking to?" The blackmailer in the back piped up again.

"Shit, did it again..."

* * *

Boss was waiting for them when they arrived back to her office. She'd relocated once more to the top of her desk, which Date decided to take as a sign she was feeling better. Her eyes lit up when she saw the suspect being dragged along behind.

"Is this him? You got him?" She said, barely restraining herself from hopping up and down like a kid on Christmas morning.

"Looks like it." Date replied.

"Fantastic work." The Boss grinned and then turned to shout to the policemen patrolling outside. "You've searched him?"

"Yes, I conficated his phone." replied one.

"So he didn't have my tape recorder on him?" Boss asked, lightly chewing on her thumb to dissuade her nerves. The officer shook his head, downcast. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We didn't find anything like that."

Boss let out an irritated hiss. "Typical. Probably left it somewhere else."

Kei avoided eye contact with all of them, staring sullenly at the ground.

"Take him down to the interrogation room," Boss instructed the policemen. "My subordinates and I will take it from here."

"Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

Behind the one-way mirror in the interrogation room was a secret space. There, Date and Aiba waited for the Boss to arrive so they could begin. She was sure taking her sweet time getting ready, which is why the two decided to covertly observe the suspect in her absence. The man had already blackmailed an entire police unit - who knew what he'd try to pull if left unattended.

 **[The battle is not over. Not until we make him delete the recordings he has queued.** **]** Aiba said, gazing through the glass at Kei. Date nodded, checking the wall clock once again, as if doing so would magically summon Boss to their location.

"Don't we already have his phone?" He asked nonchalantly, recalling the scene with the patrolmen earlier.

 **[It is locked with a password. I'm working on cracking it right now.]** Aiba replied loftily.

"...I bet I could get the password out of him." Date mumbled, almost inaudibly.

**[How? By brute force?]**

"No, not that!" He cried. "It's just a feeling I've got. I think we can win him over."

 **[Why do you think that?]** Aiba still wasn't convinced.

"If he really cares so much about justice, then we need to show him that Psyncing can be used for good. We've put away so many criminals using that."

**[...I see. You see yourself in him, don't you?]**

"Yeah. Vigilanteism is a slippery slope." Date admitted. "I want to set him straight."

 **[Understood. I will do my best to assist,]** said a determined Aiba. The door swung open with gusto, an unexpected contrast to the yawning woman who had opened it.

"Boss. What took you?" Date asked, miffed. "The deadline still stands, doesn't it?"

"I wanted to brush up on the file of Rin Shiraishi's murder. You don't know since I took you off the case, but Kei is still our leading suspect for that," said Boss. "But it was worth it - I think we'll get the leverage we need."

"Oh yeah?"

"Here, come through." Boss picked up a random stack of papers and squinted at them. Seemingly satisfied, she dropped them back down in a cloud of dust. Date started choking slightly. "I want you to come interview him with me."

"Psync?" Date wheezed out as Aiba attempted a miniscule Heimlich maneuver with her stubbly, jelly body.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." replied an unconcerned Boss, shepherding the officer and his eye out of the supervision room. Despite her whole life having been thrown into disarray on this night, she'd reclaimed her confident smile so easily. She always seemed one step ahead of everyone - seeing her vulnerable and panicked wasn't a good feeling.

"Don't worry, Boss. I'll take care of it." He said, hoping to quell her worries even just a little.

"Hah! Don't be so cocky. I'll be the one taking care of it," She smirked with a challenging glint in her eye. "Don't forget your place."

 **[I am glad she's feeling better.]** Aiba's eye was pressed closed, almost as if she were trying to smile.

The two of them left and made their way to the interrogation room. Boss pulled up the seat with an irritated look, hunching over to be intimidatingly close to their suspect. Date leaned against the wall and let her do her thing.

"First things first, then," she said. "Four days ago, when we brought you here to Psync, did you steal my tape recorder from this room?"

 **[Wow. She got down to it right away,]** Aiba commented.

"I did," said Kei.

[And he straight-up admitted it!] Date added.

"And where is it now?" continued Boss, agitation once again slipping through her smile.

"I'm not telling you."

A vein practically popped on her forehead.

**[I don't know what she was expecting.]**

"Ler's put that aside for now," attempted Date. "After seeing your blog, I understand why you wanted to expose us. But you gave us an ultimatum."

The Boss nodded, picking up where he left off. "That leads me to believe that you're open to negotiation. You want something, don't you, Kei? Spell out your demands and we can come to an agreement."

Kei shifted in his seat, drawing back a little. "I... I already told you. I want you to give what you took back to me."

"But what is that exactly?" asked Boss.

"It's..." The man averted his eyes from their gazes. "...My treasure."

"Uh huh." Date raised an eyebrow. "Your treasure, but for some reason you don't care enough to tell us what it is. We could get it back to you if only we knew."

"What a shame. I guess you'll just have to go without," Boss shrugged.

"You're in no position to be toying with me!" Kei seethed. "Have you forgotten all the dirt I have on this place?"

"On the contrary," a playful smile danced across Boss's lips. Her eyes were bright, with no hint of the calculations and schemes being formed behind them. "Now that we know your identity, it's over. If you post _anything_ on that little blog of yours, I will leak your name and address onto the internet. With the amount of people you've antagonized, your life will likely become a living hell."

"Holy shit, Boss." Date whispered. Boss wasn't finished, though.

"And not only that," she said, "You're a prime suspect in the murder of your brother. I don't think your justice-minded followers would stay on your side knowing that."

[Come to think of it, why didn't Boss tell me any of this earlier?] wondered Date.

 **[...]** Aiba was dumbstruck for once.

[Oh right... unpaid leave.]

Boss was still continuing her interrogation while Date and Aiba shot telepathic messages back and forth. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"I didn't kill him..." muttered Kei. "It was an accident."

"Spoken like a true liar." She replied, ascending from the chair in one graceful movement. She walked over to the door, fingers hovering on the handle. "If you don't feel like talking, that's okay. We can either arrest you for cyberterrorism and murder, or leak your personal info to the keyboard warriors out there. The choice is yours."

"W-Wait." Kei leaned across the table. "I... I don't care if you expose me or arrest me or what... but please, I need my treasure back. I won't ask for anything else."

Date lifted his head, a thought occuring. "When you messaged Boss earlier, you said to return your treasure to 'where we found it'. What place is that?"

**[That place... could it be?]**

"Ikume Shrine."

"Of course," murmured Boss. "We saw it in your Somnium before."

"My brother and I... when we were little, we made time capsules as a joke." Kei said, putting his head on the desk. "Well, it was more like a gift exchange. We buried presents for each other in two separate boxes, and buried them at Ikume Shrine."

"You and Rin?" asked Date.

"Yes," said Kei. "We were going to dig them up in a few years, but eventually, we forgot. I happened to be passing by the shrine a few days after the Psync, and it occurred to me to take a look. I found the box labeled 'To Kei' and opened it, but it was empty."

"What do you mean, empty?"

"I mean what I said, idiot!" He snapped. "Nothing inside. I immediately realized that since ABIS snooped in my brain, they must have seen the time capsules and confiscated them for evidence or whatever. We never told anyone about it. I knew it was you."

Date sat down on a corner of the table. "I think there's been a basic misunderstanding here, Kei."

"I did do a customary sweep of the area," Boss admitted, "But the CSI didn't find anything worth investigating."

"Pfft, CSI are incompetent." Kei scoffed. Date couldn't find it in himself to completely disagree with such an attitude.

"Date, Aiba filled me in about your visit to Ikume Shrine on Saturday. Did you notice anything while you were there?" Boss asked.

"Not really... I found Iris there, so I didn't have time to investigate in depth." said Date.

Boss nodded. "Of course. Sorry to remind you."

 **[Wait.]** Aiba cut in.

[What?]

**[Iris was at Ikume Shrine...]**

"You think she saw something?" He was expecting Aiba to respond, but Boss answered instead. God, one of these days his habit of talking to himself was gonna get him into real trouble.

"It's possible." said Boss, a finger to her chin in thought. "Okay, interrogation adjourned. Both you and I are going to go home and get some sleep. We're too tired to pursue leads right now. Once we're rested, we'll resume our work. I'll clear things up here with the higher-ups, and you can go talk to Iris. Sound good?"

"But what about..." Date cast a glance at Kei, who was sitting glumly and twiddling his thumbs.

"Don't worry about him. We'll be keeping him here overnight." saud Boss, nonchalant as ever.

"That isn't procedure..."

"He tried to destroy our organization from within, Date. There is no procedure for this."

Fair enough, he supposed, but there was one little thing left to deal with. "And the deadline?"

"It's voided, now." muttered Kei. "I know when I'm beaten. I won't upload those recordings. But I'm not giving the tape recorder back until you find what I'm looking for."

"All right." Boss said and smiled. She sipped the last of her bike-grinded coffee. "I've called that inspector Kirari or whatever to bring his boys over. They'll be keeping watch on Kei here."

"Good." Date said. If he couldn't do it himself, he could rest easy knowing it was all in Kagami's (somewhat) capable hands. Suddenly, he yawned. It was like all the exhaustion they'd been battling off had fell on them like a ton of bricks. He absent-mindedly checked his phone, saw all the unread messages, and immediately groaned.

All he said as he walked out the door was, "Gonna go sleep."

"I won't be far behind," said Boss. "...Sweet dreams, Date."


	8. 恋愛 (renAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last few chapters are taking longer to come out because I want everything to feel right. Thanks for your patience!

Finally, a decent rest.

The temperature was starting to warm up a little as winter prepared to melt into spring - perfect conditions for napping all day. Or at least, in an ideal world, it would've been, but...

**[Beep beep.]**

"Not this again," Date complained as he sat upright from the couch. Even after all that happened, Aiba wasn't cutting him any slack. Mizuki looked up from her toast, rolled her eyes, and got back to eating.

 **[We have had adequate sleep. It's time to return to our duties,]** Aiba replied.

"At least let me get something to eat," said Date, swiping a free slice of toast and shoving it into his mouth.

"What are you, an anime schoolgirl?" Mizuki mumbled, her voice muffled by chewing sounds. "Oh, by the way, I heard about the situation yesterday. Iris and Ota filled me in."

"Okay. I think we pretty much managed to contain the situation thanks to them. And we got the guy, so don't worry." Date told her.

"Ota's gonna be over the moon once he finds out," said Mizuki. "Apparently he and this Fun-whatever person go way back."

"Oh yeah?"

"He told me over group chat. They tried to get him cancelled years ago for having multiple alts or something. And Ota was holding a grudge over that, so when we saw the post about ABIS on To-Witter, he snapped. He did whatever he could to get that thread taken down before more people saw it."

"Huh." Date raised an eyebrow. "Small world."

"Yep. Long story short, Ota got suspended from To-Witter." Mizuki said ruefully.

 **[Truly, a noble sacrifice.]** Aiba deadpanned. **[Let us get back to work and solve this case so it isn't in vain.]**

"I wouldn't call this work, I'm only going to see Iris."

"You're going to see Iris? Visiting hours aren't for a while yet," said Mizuki.

"It's not a regular visit. She's... a possible witness for our current case, so we want to see if she knows anything," replied Date with a half-shrug.

Mizuki's eyes widened as she chomped ferociously on the bread in her mouth. She gulped it down fast and took a breath. "She's not in trouble, is she?"

"Not at all." Date was quick to reassure her. "Just gotta check out any loose ends."

Mizuki raised an eyebrow, mouth quirking up in playfulness. "It's okay. You don't need an excuse if you want to hang out with her. You can just say so."

"I told you, I'm not hanging out with Iris, it's-"

"Ohh, I get it." Mizuki grinned. "It's not Iris you want to hang out with, it's Miss Hitomi. I see now."

"Go the hell to school already!" Date grumbled, sliding Mizuki her scarf from across the table.

"Ew, don't do that! I spilt some milk on this table earlier!"

"Again?!"

 **[You two are as lively as ever,]** commented Aiba, who was rather enjoying the return to a more familiar routine.

"Hmph!" Mizuki pouted and got up to leave.

"Oh, is the princess done gracing us with her presence?" called Date. "Would be nice to get a 'goodbye' once in a while."

"You just told me to leave!" Mizuki yelled back. "Besides, I have the Ososhiki today. They're letting me take a half day."

"Only a half day for something so important? Man, middle school is a lot more hardcore than it used to be."

"Not really, this is normal." She shrugged. "And before you ask, I'm fine. But you better pick me up after the ceremony, okay?"

"Gotcha," said Date.

Mizuki immediately slammed the door for no reason and left.

**[...]**

[Ah, good times. I'm glad she seems chipper enough, I missed teasing Mizuki.]

**[That's not something a parent should be saying.]**

[Shut it. And she makes fun of me too, so it totally cancels out.]

**[In your estimations.]**

"Well, more importantly," said Date (who knew when he was losing), "We have to go quiz Iris about her trip to Ikume Shrine. Things aren't adding up."

 **[Yes,]** Aiba agreed. **[I'll bring the car around.]**

* * *

Iris was sitting in her hospital bed when they arrived. She had earbuds in, bobbing her head carefree to whatever music was presumably playing. Of course, there was always the chance she was listening to the ShovelForge OST again. She was so engrossed it took her quite some time to notice there was anyone in the room.

"Waaagh!" She recoiled, practically banging her head again off the bedpost.

"What do you mean, waaagh? I've been here for like two minutes." Date pointed out. He heard a noise not unlike tearing paper and looked down. One of Iris's origami cranes was being crunched underfoot.

"You scared me, Uncle!" Iris scolded, unaware. "You caught me jamming! That's as bad as being forced into a boss fight without getting a chance to heal status effects!"

"I have no concept of how bad that is," said Date, discreetly nudging the ruined crane under the bed where it belonged.

"And how come you're here to begin with?" Iris continued her questioning. "It's not visiting hours."

"I'm here on business." Date explained. "I need a testimony from you regarding your visit to Ikume Shrine. Is it okay if I ask you a few questions?"

Iris nodded fervently. "I dunno what to say exactly, but go ahead! Ask whatever."

"Hey, actually, where's Hitomi?" Date suddenly realized the absence of the teacher. Maybe it would be better to have Iris's mother here, for her peace of mind.

"Is that for the testimony?" Iris asked, excitement radiating out of her every pore. She was clearly happy to have an important task placed upon her.

"No, I was just curious." said Date, quick to set the record straight.

"I dunno. I didn't really ask where she went." Iris shrugged. "Anyway! Testimony time! What do you want to know?"

Date took the plastic chair at the edge of the room. "Last Saturday, when I found you at Ikume Shrine. When you got hurt. Tell me everything that transpired before Aiba and I arrived."

"Everything?"

"Let's start with a simple question. What were you doing there?"

Iris stared into space, thinking. "Other than the fact I like the place, there was an actual reason."

"Oh yeah?"

"I was looking for the fruit of immortality!" Iris exclaimed, sitting bolt upright.

[...] Date was struck dumb.

 **[She was... what?]** Aiba was similarly speechless.

Iris nodded enthusiastically. "I told you about it, didn't I? I've been streaming this series lately with my friend Amame. You know, from Sunfish Pocket?"

"The one with the nice hip bones," Date said sagely.

"Yeah, that one!" Iris beamed, clapping her hands together. Then, her expression changed to suspicion. "Wait, why do you know what her hip bones look like?"

"Why do you?" retorted Date.

"..." Iris blanked. "You know, it's so strange. I toootally don't remember. Must be because of the concussion!"

 **[She blatantly lied, to the actual amnesiac.]** Aiba narrated dryly.

"Well, that's besides the point. So about that series of yours..."

"Yeah..." Iris said. "We thought it'd be cool to stream us online, doing various urban legends and rituals. We stream that every Saturday, but Amame caught a cold recently, so I had to do it myself this time."

"Go on."

"And since the shrine is such a precious place to me, I decided to look into the Fruit of Immortality legend, and search the place for it. It wasn't my best stream, since I had to do it on my phone..."

Date could see the conversation about to derail. "And what about your injury? How, exactly, did you sustain it?"

"My memories around that time are fuzzy..." She shook her head sadly. "I know I hit my head on something, but the last thing I remember is searching around the shrine, and then I was on the ground bleeding."

"Anything you can remember? Anything at all?"

"Sorry, nothing in particular."

"Iris," Date said seriously, leaning over the bedside table. "Did you feel like someone hit you from behind? Is that why you passed out?"

"I... don't think so..." Iris automatically ran her hand over the bump on the back of her head. "There wasn't anyone there anyway, the priests were all inside."

"Then how did you get that injury?" Date persisted.

Iris paused again to think about it. "I don't really know... I think I tripped?"

"You tripped?"

"Yeah, actually, I'm sure of it now that I mention it!" She said brightly. "I tripped!"

"On what?"

"I don't know, probably a rock or something."

 **[Are you thinking that it may have been Kei's 'treasure'?]** Aiba asked, her robotic voice clearly enunciating his hazy thoughts.

[It's worth looking into. If only there was a way to relive that scenario... WAIT.]

**[You mean the Psync?]**

[No, we shouldn't even need to go that far.]

Iris was staring at her uncle as he once again stared off into space with a blank expression. He quickly snapped himself out of it and got back to the questioning.

"Iris, you said you were streaming this, right?" Date asked.

"Yeah." Iris said. "I think I left my phone at Ikume Shrine when I fell, though, so I can't show it to you..."

 **[Date.]** The AI piped up. **[Remember what Ota told us some time ago? He always records Iris's streams. He could have valuable evidence.]**

[You're right. Let's go find him and learn the truth behind Iris's injury.]

Date sent a text to Ota.

《Hey, where are you right now?》

It didn't take long to get a reply.

《@ home, why》

《I need to talk to you.》

《what about?》

Date felt a surge of vindictive glee as he typed his next response.

《It's the kind of conversation you can't have over the phone.》

They said their goodbyes to Iris, thanked her for her time, and departed. 

* * *

A predictably disgruntled Ota opened the door to Matsushita Diner.

"What is it?" He asked.

A voice piped up from the back of the restaurant - Mayumi. "Oh my, a customer? Come on in, dearie! It's been far too quiet today!"

Ota slightly winced and shuffled aside to let Date past. Date gave him a sympathetic glance.

Mayumi hobbled out of the kitchen, brandishing her favourite knife. "Hello there. What would you like to order? By the way, we offer a free drink if you buy one of our specials!"

"Mom..." Ota said in a low voice. "He's not..."

"It's okay," said Date, feeling a little guilty for some reason. Mayumi looked so happy at the prospect of serving a customer, he couldn't decline. "I'll have the omurice, thanks."

"Excellent choice," She smiled widely, eyes crinkling with joy. "My boy makes the best omurice in town, don't you, Ota?"

"Well, I wouldn't go that far..." Ota rubbed the back of his head, bashful.

Mayumi laughed and shook her hand dismissively. "So modest! Anyway, would you like a drawing with that?"

"No, thanks."

 **[Why did you say that?]** Aiba burst out. **[I wanted her to draw a hemileuca eglanterina!]**

[A fucking what?]

 **[I love hemileuca eglanterina!]** She swooned, not answering the question.

Mayumi went off to the kitchen happily to prepare the food. Once satisfied she was out of earshot, Ota took a stool and spoke. "So, what's going on?"

"You save all of Iris's streams, right?" asked Date.

"Yeah, why? You miss one?"

"Do you have the one from last Saturday?"

"Uh, I should do. Just a sec," Ota said, shrugging his backpack off and pulling out a sticker-adorned laptop. He set it on the table and started frantically clicking. "Let's see... Five days ago... Oh, this one?"

"Did you watch it?" Date was curious.

"For a bit, but then I had to go to my job." He replied.

 **[Even I, an advanced AI, am struggling to keep up with his employment rate.]** Aiba weighed in, a pinch of irritation in her voice. She was probably still mad about the hemileuca eglanterina.

"Can you send the stream to me or something?" Date asked, oblivious as to how this kind of thing worked.

"The recording? Alright." Ota frowned a little. "Is this for a case?"

"That's confidential," Date replied, which was just 'yes' with extra steps. "Speaking of, you really saved our skin yesterday."

"Eh?"

"You were the one who got that thread deleted, weren't you?"

"Oh, Funyarinpa Blogs?" Recognition finally sparked in Ota's expression. "That was personal. That asshole blackmailed me about the sockpuppeting way before you did. That was before I met Tes- I mean Iris."

"You were still doing it even back then, huh..." said Date. He was disappointed, but not surprised.

"You don't get to look at me with that disparaging expression! I just did you a favour!" Ota retorted. "Sheesh, some people."

[This damn brat never changes.]

**[Let's cut him some slack for today.]**

The notification dinged in Date's head. The recording had been sent.

"Alright, let's watch this thing..." He murmured to himself, while Ota wondered how he got the message without even checking a phone.

He sat at the table, playing the seemingly normal stream through Aiba. Nothing appeared to be awry - Iris was her usual spry self, documenting her search for the fruit of immortality (and not finding very much.) Soon enough, Mayumi arrived with a plate of omurice. Date thanked her and went back to watching the video, while an awkward Ota sat across from him.

"Are you planning to watch the whole two hours right now?" He eventually got uncomfortable enough to chime in.

"This goes on for two hours...?"

"That's just typical for her."

This was going to be yet another long day.

* * *

After about twenty minutes of speeding through the stream with nothing consequential happening (other than Iris theorizing about how the government was concealing the existence of Kappas), Aiba decided they'd had enough.

 **[We'll have to continue this later. Mizuki should be finished with the Ososhiki right about now.]** She reminded.

[Yeah, I have to take her home... let's watch the rest once we get back.] Date felt bad that he wasn't able to be around more when it was such a difficult time for Mizuki. If he had it his way, he'd be spending _all_ his time taking care of her and Iris. Unfortunately, those paychecks weren't going to earn themselves.

"Thanks for the meal," he said to Mayumi, giving her the money the omurice would've cost... if the restaurant was still open. She just smiled.

"And you, too."

Ota glanced up from his laptop, having evidently moved on to better things. "Me?"

"For helping ABIS out." Date said.

"I told you, that was personal revenge." Ota glowered. "Though... if you feel like repaying me, I wouldn't turn down a reward..."

"Ota, you know what the mark of a true hero is?" Date suddenly asked.

"Uh, what?"

"They don't expect anything in return for doing the right thing." 

Ota's face fell.

"....Is what Aiba told me to tell you." finished Date, all too quick to throw her under the bus.

 **[Don't put words in my mouth!]** She exclaimed indignantly.

[You don't have a mouth to put words into.]

"So... what?" Ota prompted, drumming his fingers on the table impatiently.

"I'll buy you a cream soda at Sunfish Pocket, take it or leave it."

"Better than nothing, I guess..."

"That settles it, then. We'll be going now," said Date, getting ready to go.

"Please come again!" called a satisfied Mayumi from the kitchen.

* * *

Mizuki stood outside, staring down at her feet. As expected, it had been painful. The Otsuya yesterday had been bearable since she had everyone beside her, but this time had been different. There was no Date, no Miss Hitomi, no Iris. Just the phantoms of a family she never had, relatives bound only by blood.

She just wanted all this to be over. Even going back to school would be preferable to standing out here. Then again, wherever she went, she would always be the daughter of a murderer and his victim. But that wasn't the truth.

The girl was pondering this when a familiar car pulled up to the driveway. She opened up the door and climbed in without a word.

"Are you okay?" asked Date, noting her melancholic demeanor. She frowned and fastened her seatbelt.

"What do you think, genius..."

"Do you want to maybe talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," said Mizuki, curling up in her seat. "It was exactly how I knew it would be. I wanna stop thinking about all this now..."

"Fair enough," Date replied. "Where do you want to go?"

Mizuki considered her options. "Home..." 

"Alright, then let's go."

* * *

Not long after, Mizuki was sat on her favourite armchair, drinking some hot chocolate they bought from the convenience store on their way. It didn't numb the pain inside, but it was something.

Date was at his desk, scanning through the remainder of the stream once again. More Iris, more blabbering on, more nothing happening. He was starting to think this might be a waste of time.

 **[Wait. Look where she's going.]** Aiba said sharply. After roaming aimlessly around the shrine, Iris was changing her tack.

"Hm," she said. "If it's buried somewhere, where would it be? You'd have to leave a map, or have some kind of monument..."

Her face lit up. "Oh! I know!"

The camera faced her as she strode up to the stone monument, reading it just for the sake of it. She turned around and started digging.

"Oh? There's something here!" She called excitedly. After some rustling, she gasped.

"Can you guys in chat see that? It's a box! Buried treasure! My intuition is unparalleled!"

The girl pulled something out of the box and presented it in front of the camera. Looking closely, Date realized it was a video tape.

[Damn, this is retro.]

**[You can just say 'old'.]**

"Isn't this creepy?" Iris mused to herself. "Maybe I'll die in seven days after watching it! I'm super curious about what's on it now... what should I do, guys?"

She went silent as she presumably read the chat.

"You want me to take it? Welllll, I guess it's really old, so whoever put it here probably doesn't care anymore." Iris slyly smiled as she reached her muddy hands into her bag, the tape placed neatly inside.

 **[There it is... that tape must be Kei's treasure.]** Aiba said. **[He said his brother Rin buried it some time ago, correct? Perhaps he did not know what was inside. That would explain why he couldn't tell us what he was searching for.]**

[How can something you've never seen be your treasure?] thought Date.

**[Maybe the treasure wasn't the tape itself. Maybe it was the idea of a memento from his late brother that Kei cherished. It would explain why he was so furious that it was gone.]**

[So... this all happened because Iris chose to investigate Ikume Shrine at the worst possible time?]

**[It certainly looks that way.]**

Iris tried to stand up. She blurred and fell out of sight of the camera, which tumbled to the ground. This must have been when she passed out. There was a loud WHUMP as she smacked her head off the monument.

Date and Aiba watched quietly before determining that there was no more film left, only blackness as the phone shut itself off.

 **[It does look like she tripped, although we admittedly didn't have the best angle,]** was what Aiba gleaned. **[I will run the footage back to check... Aha!]**

Aiba rewound the footage to a single frame - it showed Iris's foot stepping on the cardboard box, plunging her leg into the hole where it was buried.

Date stared in disbelief. [So... she's just a klutz?]

 **[She's a klutz.]** Aiba affirmed, having already come to this logical conclusion.

[Talk about a series of unfortunate events.] Date sighed. [Still, at least we know what our next move is. We have to retrieve the tape from Iris's bag - if it's even still there.]

**[Should I call her?]**

[Please do.]

Within seconds, Iris was on the phone. "Hey! What's up?"

"Iris, did you take a tape from Ikume Shrine on Saturday?" Date asked, blunt as ever.

"S-Straight to the point, huh?" She laughed awkwardly. "I... um... I was going to put it back after, I swear! Don't arrest me...?"

"That's not the problem here," replied Date. "Do you still have that tape?"

"Should do, in my bag, I think. I didn't get the chance to watch it though..."

"And where is your bag?"

"I don't know. The nurses changed my clothes while I was passed out, so they must have taken my possessions somewhere."

 **[Date, I just checked in with Hitomi. She doesn't know where the bag is either, but she says she'll search her house.]** Aiba updated.

[Nice.]

"So it's probably in the hospital still. I don't suppose you'd be able to get it...?" He said hopefully.

"Sorry, they get super mad at me when I go wandering around. You're police, so you'll have to come get it yourself." Iris said, sounding rather self-satisfied for some reason. Date resisted the urge to sigh.

"Okay, then. I'll come get it soon."

He was tired as hell of driving back and forth across Tokyo. He just wanted to sleep for a few hours... or a few days... or forever. Mizuki must have been on edge too, what with the week's events wreaking havoc on her schedule. 

Mizuki glared from across the room. "Hey, stop eyeing my hot chocolate."

"I wasn't- nevermind." Date got up and walked over to Mizuki. "I need to go out now, for a case. Over at Central Hospital. Do you want to come with and say hi to Iris?"

"Do you even need to ask?" Mizuki waved her hands excitedly. "I always want to see Iris! I saw her yesterday, but that doesn't matter."

"Good. Then finish your drink and get in the car."

Mizuki smiled widely, wiping a tear from the corner of her vision.

* * *

The pale white corridors of the hospital were less congested with people these days. While Mizuki and Iris were chatting excitedly in the hospital room, Date and Aiba took it upon themselves to search for Iris's mysterious cat-shaped bag. He figured the best way to get what he wanted was to flaunt his authority to the girl at reception.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she said with a polite, hollow smile.

"I'm with the MPD investigating a case." He told her. "Could you tell me where you keep the patients' belongings?"

The girl regarded him with obvious suspicion. "I'm sorry, do you have ID?"

"Ah- hold on. Let me get my..." He raked through his bag, searching for his police badge. Nothing he touched felt remotely like it. 

[What the hell? Did I leave it at home? But I always have it in there!]

The girl behind the counter was becoming increasingly concerned.

"Ah, wait, here it is-" He finally found what he was looking for, a police badge. He showed it to her.

"Are you pretending to be with the police? That's n-not even you..." The girl asked, face crumpled with confusion and doubt.

"No! I'm a legitimate..." Date turned the badge over to see what was wrong.

It was him.

Saito.

His old police badge photo - it was from when he was inside Saito Sejima's body. Of _course._

He should've thrown it away. It was a memory of _him,_ of everything he did, _why didn't he throw it away?_

**[Date, calm down.]**

Aiba's words weren't reaching him.

Some tiny part of him missed that body, the one he'd made his home for six years. The body that killed Manaka Iwai- and it still would've been better than his own. This stupid body was stained with much more blood than Saito's ever was. 

_Why didn't he throw it away?_

A hand tapped his shoulder lightly, making him jump.

"Date?"

Hitomi was looking up at him, holding something in her hand. "This fell out of your bag..."

She handed him his new badge. The one with his own picture on it. Boss got it made shortly after the Cyclops Incident, updating the old Hayato Yagyu badge with Date's new name. He clutched it like a lifeline, and showed it to the receptionist, who was unsurprisingly baffled.

The hand on his shoulder tightened. Hitomi had concern etched across her face. "Date, are you okay? You're white as a sheet."

"I'm okay," he said automatically, forcing away the shaky, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Just felt a bit dizzy for a second."

"That's not good. You should eat something with sugar." Hitomi scolded gently.

"Hitomi, you know him?" The receptionist asked, astral projecting to a new plane of bewilderment.

Hitomi covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I never introduced you two, did I? Nanako, this is Date, he really is a policeman." She turned to Date. "Remember I told you that I was friends with a nurse here? That was Nanako."

[So she's the one who gave permission for Iris to attend Renju's funeral...]

"Thank you very much," he couldn't help saying.

"I'm not sure why you're thanking me..." Nanako furrowed her brows.

"So what did you need with her?" Hitomi asked with a smile.

"I want to know where Iris's bag is." Date told her.

"Ah, okay... Nanako, could you please escort us to the patients' belongings?" Hitomi pleaded to her friend. "I know I owe you a lot already, but this is important..."

Nanako faltered for a second, looking between the two of them. Eventually, she pinched her nose and sighed. "Okay. I trust you, Hitomi. But if this so-called cop does _anything_ suspicious, I'll call security on the both of you."

[Ah... singled out again...]

**[Hitomi and this girl have quite the strange friendship.]**

"This way," Nanako called, already walking down one of the many corridors with no intention of waiting up. Date and Hitomi followed her, staying a few paces behind to chat.

"Sorry about this," Hitomi whispered. "Nanako's a nice girl really... She has to be secretive, working with confidential information."

"I get it," Date laughed awkwardly. "If I were her, I'd be suspicious of me too. Especially after that dumb mishap..."

"I'm not sure what exactly happened..." She confessed. 'But are you sure you're all right? I've never seen you just... shut down like that."

Hitomi's shoes clacked against the tile as they walked, only serving to emphasize the silence between them. Date glanced at her over his shoulder, letting out a small breath.

"I... saw Saito. In my old police ID..." He muttered. "Ever since November... even by just seeing his face, everything that happened crashes down on me at once... when I see his face, I feel sick."

That was why Mizuki had had to file away her old photographs. She wanted to keep the pictures of her and Date hanging out together, but to Date, Saito was the one in the picture. On his request, Mizuki piled them into an envelope and put them in the hollow space behind the speaker. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

He suddenly noticed that Hitomi had disappeared out of sight. Before he could turn around to look for her, she reappeared on his right. She slipped her left hand into his, giving a comforting squeeze.

"I understand," she said sadly. "It's the same for me... I've been having these... night terrors, recently. Iris always had to be the one to calm me down. I should be the one comforting her, and yet..."

Her words were a greater relief than she could've known. It wasn't just Date - everyone's minds had been tainted by Saito. He wasn't in this alone.

"We'll get through this. Together." He said, scrounging up the dregs of determination from their intertwined fingers. She looked up and nodded, looking like she might cry again.

Nanako stopped walking and turned on her heel to check if they were still following. Seeing them hold hands, she groaned under her breath.

"Keep up, lovebirds. I have work to do." The woman rolled her eyes. Hitomi and Date immediately broke apart, jumping away like teenagers trying too hard to prove they weren't crushing on each other.

The three rounded a corner, and after walking through a few rooms Nanako came to a halt in front of a large cabinet.

"You're looking for your daughter's clothes, right?" She asked, gesturing to the shelves filled with laundry. "They should be in here somewhere. You'll have to look."

Hitomi recognised Iris's jacket immediately, peeking out amongst the piles of relatively more mundane clothing. Date joined her in ransacking the cabinet, reaching further into the shelves where Hitomi's single hand could not go. The cat bag was stashed in the back, and after some effort they were able to pull it free.

"Alright, we got it."

"Can I go back to reception now? I don't want to get in trouble." Nanako whined.

Hitomi nodded. "Sorry for the trouble. And thank you, again."

"See you, then."

And with that, she took off, leaving the two alone with the bag. Hitomi quietly closed the cabinet.

 **[Well, open it.]** Aiba's sudden voice gave Date a start.

[You were silent for so long, and you only decide to talk to bark orders.] He complained.

 **[I had no intention of becoming a third wheel.]** Aiba said. **[Now, hurry and open it!]**

He did as he was told, unzipping it. Hitomi watched hesitantly, unsure whether this was a breach of Iris's privacy or not. The terrible thought that the tape might not be there occurred to Date as they looked inside.

There was nothing to worry about. It was right there, barely fitting into the confines of the bag. He took it out and turned it over. On the back, a piece of paper was stuck to it and peeling off.

 **["To Kei"...]** Aiba read. **["...ONLY OPEN AFTER 10+ YEARS!!!!"]**

"We did it, guys." Date grinned. "With this... I think we'll be able to crack the case wide open. Thank you, Hitomi."

"No problem," said Hitomi.

"Alright. I'm gonna head off to ABIS and check in," said Date, yawning. "Oh, and Hitomi?"

"What?"

"When this case is all wrapped up, and Iris gets discharged for real... you wanna have an okonomiyaki war?"

Hitomi's eyes widened. Her expression was one of both happiness and sadness.

"I'd like that."


	9. 願い (negAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long again. I had to write some other stuff and I also got a job, so timing's been tricky. This chapter is a little short since I couldn't organically insert the next scenes, so I hope that's ok. ^^

A certain woman was sitting on top of her desk, a smartphone in hand, when the cavalry came crashing into the office. The first sign was the patters of sneakers against tile, quickly followed by heavier footsteps. Excited babbling could be heard outside, making Shizue smile. She knew it was Mizuki before her blue hair bobbed into sight. She was holding a videotape and laughing like a supervillain.

"Told you I could beat you in a race, old timer!" The girl boasted to her companion who was only now catching up. Unlike Mizuki, Date looked exhausted, having to brace himself on the doorframe to keep upright.

"I never agreed to that... you just stole the evidence to make me come after you..." he wheezed.  
Boss's ears perked up. "Evidence, you say?"

"Yeah, we-" Date started to speak, but Mizuki interrupted firmly.

"Uh-uh-uh! I won the race, so I get to tell Boss the good news!" She fiercely declared, flicking the tape across the desk. Boss picked it up and examined it. _'To Kei', huh... is this what that guy was after? Maybe he'll talk now._

"Nice find, guys. Obviously, we're going to have to watch it through before we talk to Kei." Boss said. "For the sake of the investigation."

 **"And because we're curious."** Aiba added, having snuck out of her home socket at some point.

"That too," said Date.

Mizuki held back a laugh. "I'm gonna go bug the police officers outside. One of them's my friend, she gives me sweets every time I come here."

"Uh, okay." Date said, a little confused at her declaration out of nowhere. Then it hit him that she probably didn't want a repeat of Kei's Somnium. He'd already shown his awareness of the Cyclops Incident - better not to take any chances watching the tape. Boss looked understanding, shooing Mizuki away good-naturedly.

"I'm sure I have something to play this on..." Boss mused to herself. "How about we go to the hidden room next to the interrogation so nobody bothers us?"

 **"That sounds optimal. We can't have people stumbling in and disrupting our focus,"** nodded Aiba.

With that, it was decided.

Boss gave Aiba her palm to transport her, giggling because it tickled. She turned to Date.

"Hay-" She began, only to cut herself off with a slightly troubled expression. She tried again, speaking smoothly as if she'd never slipped up. "Hey."

"Hey...?" Date echoed with a hint of confusion.

"Let's go already," Boss said, more pushy than before. "I want to say goodbye to this case once and for all." Before anyone could reply, she flounced out of the room.

[What's with her all of a sudden?] Date followed, baffled but nonetheless obedient. He could hear Aiba's voice, a little more distant since she was being carried away by Boss.

**[If you didn't realize, I'm not going to tell you.]**

[Oh, I see. Time of the month, huh?]

**[This is why you're single, Date.]**

The three hurried to set up a monitor to watch the video on. (Aiba could have played it herself, but Boss wouldn't have been able to see it.) Boss looked at them and nodded wordlessly. She pressed a button on a remote, and the video started to play.

It looked to be a cheaply recorded message. A gangly boy with glasses came into the frame, smiling widely.

"Okay, it's on now. So!" He said. "If you're watching this, Kei, you better have remembered our agreement. If you cheated and dug up this box while we're still kids, that defeats the whole thing."

"That's him," Boss whispered, leaning forward. "Rin Shiraishi as he was, circa twenty years ago."

"And if you're not Kei, then you shouldn't be watching this!" said the boy on the video, briefly surprising Date and Boss. "Uh, now that's out of the way, what I was going to say was... I was wondering what we'd be like in the future. If we'd get on a little more than we do now... and if our wishes at the shrine came true... do you remember yours? It's to finish that llama game you started making."

He paused and rubbed his hair. "Damn, this is so sappy. You'll probably forget about the time capsules to begin with. Maybe that's why I can say stuff like this... cause you'll never see this video anyway. I wonder what present you got me, huh? I won't forgive you if it's something boring."

The three continued watching in silence, eyes peeled for any clues, but Rin just kept talking.

"Oh right, I bet you've finished that game already. It's really fun. I bet you could sell it to a company. As for me, I actually didn't manage to think of a wish that day. Sorry for lying about that."

"A wish for the future, eh?" Date mumbled.

 **[Llamas...]** Aiba murmured, dumbfounded.

[Keep up, Aiba! We're past that!]

"Anyway, uh, I dunno why I'm still talking. This tape isn't much of a surprise, is it?" Rin laughed awkwardly. "But you should hang out with the me from the future, too. That's what I've decided my wish was. So- oh crap, the battery!"

He reached his hand for the camera and it cut to static. Boss, Date and Aiba were quiet for a while.

"That was disappointing," said Boss. "I was hoping for more of a concrete lead."

 **"At any rate, it should be fine to show this to Kei. Maybe he'll feel more open to talking."** Aiba suggested. Date nodded and took the tape out. Boss gestured for them to follow her outside. They went down the stairs to the interrogation room while Boss called someone to bring Kei up from the holding cell.

* * *

After a brief episode of milling around and Date stuffing Aiba back in her socket, they were ready to go.

Kei looked up in shock from across the table. "You found my treasure?"

"I believe so." said Date, putting the tape down. "You should watch this. It's what your brother left to you."

The man gingerly reached out and examined the item, reading the note on the back. "This is his writing all right... This... thank you. Really. After what I did, you had no reason to help me... I won't forget this."

Date wasn't sure how to respond, so he uttered a moronic, "Helping people is good."

Kei looked at Boss for permission. "Can I watch it now?"

"Yeah, those patrol guys are bringing the screen in. Just press that remote." She told him, before whispering to Date. "Let's give him some privacy."

Date nodded, and the two moved out of the room to the hidden one.

 **[It isn't privacy if you're still watching him.]** Aiba pointed out and was ignored.

The two took their seats with relieved sighs.

Boss raised her arms high above her head. "Welp, not to count our chickens, but I think we're on the home stretch. What a week, am I right?"

"It's only Tuesday."

"Feels like it's been forever."

They had some time to kill while Kei watched the video, so Date took the opportunity to broach a subject that had been bothering him for a while now.

"Hey, Boss. There's something I was wondering about." He said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Boss raised an eyebrow. "And what's that, pray tell?"

"Who were the first people to body swap using the Psync Machine?"

She paused, looking at him with surprise. "Why are you asking that?"

"You knew it could be done," Date replied. "That day six years ago, when I asked you for help, you told me to body swap. How did you know it was possible?"

Suddenly, Boss laughed. Hard. It was actually really annoying.

"What's so funny?" asked Date, kind of insulted.

"Sorry, sorry." She regained her composure. "Were you seriously getting worked up over that? I didn't think it was important enough to mention. It's a pretty dumb story."

"Tell me," he said.

"I'll let you in on a little secret then." said Boss, fiddling with her ponytail. "You see... I wasn't originally supposed to be the head of ABIS."

"What?"

She leaned in with a low voice. "The plan was to take me on as a Psyncer."

"Wait, seriously?" Date said, shocked.

 **[I can understand why... she is extremely intelligent, both academically and emotionally. It is not so far fetched,]** Aiba gave the verbal equivalent of a shrug. Boss seemed kind of flustered.

"You were supposed to be a Psyncer? Then why aren't you?"

"We took it for a test run. I Psynced with one of our men just to see how I'd do," she continued. "I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened next."

Date gasped. "You switched bodies, Boss?!"

"That's how we found out about the six minute limit. Naturally, when we realized what happened, we freaked out for a bit. I suggested trying again and doing the same thing - staying in for six minutes to swap back."

"I don't believe this... and you never told me about this why?"

"It was embarrassing." She murmured. "I didn't want people to know that some random guy was inside me..."

"Please don't phrase it like that."

"So after that, I was too afraid to Psync. Pathetic, isn't it?" She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "At that point, they couldn't give me the job, but I already knew such a deep secret. Letting me go was too risky. Instead, they gave me a position as figurehead, where I wouldn't have to do any of the heavy lifting."

"This is crazy."

**[I'll say.]**

"It's so stupid..." said Boss. "The commander of ABIS, scared of Psyncing? Nobody would take me seriously if they knew. That's why I kept that story on the down-low. I'm sorry if you genuinely thought it was something to worry about."

"Hey, don't sweat it. Everyone's afraid of something," Date attempted to reassure her.

Boss didn't look convinced. She changed the subject with an uncharacteristic lack of subtlety, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the interrogation room. "It's probably finished by now. Let's ask him some questions."

"Okay."

They left the hidden room. On the way, Aiba posed a question to Date.

**[Do you want me to scan her with my thermovision?]**

[That won't be necessary.] He replied, much to Aiba's surprise.

**[That's unusual. Why not?]**

[I'm tired of doubting the people close to me. I'm going to trust Boss.]

**[Is that your intuition?]**

[You could say that.]

Oblivious to their conversation, Boss escorted them back to the interrogation room. Kei could be seen staring blankly at the black screen. The two sat down across from him, sharing a glance.

"Are you with us?" asked Boss. "We're going to ask you some questions again, and I want you to answer them truthfully."

Kei didn't look up, eyebrows knitted together in a troubled expression. "Okay."

Boss nodded, her gaze gentle and non-threatening. "First things first. On the night your brother passed away, you were there with some friends, correct?"

"We were having a stag do for one of our friends," said Kei quietly. "We- me and Rin- don't talk. It was the first time we saw each other in a while, and it was only because a mutual friend invited us."

"Go on."

"So... everyone was getting really drunk, of course." Kei continued, voice wobbling with nerves. "And Rin... gets obnoxious when he's drunk. He kept saying stupid things and we had an argument."

"An argument about what?" Boss enquired.

"Him! His personality is just awful." Kei said, suddenly angry. "Bad jokes, all the time. Trying too hard to be quirky. If you let him get a word in edgeways he starts spewing all this violent stuff and talking about serial killers. The kind who think they're masters of psychology just 'cause they read up on some depraved murderer. But he took it to another level, threatening to kill anyone who pissed him off. He gloated about going to commit some 'big kill' one day."

"What a freak," Boss said succinctly.

"The posters we saw in Somnium..." Date whispered to Aiba.

**[It seems we misunderstood. That room must have been Rin's, not Kei's. Rin was the one with the interest in true crime.]**

[I see... that makes more sense.]

Boss chimed in again. "Is that what influenced you to start as Funya?"

"It might be something like that," the man sighed. "I'm a normal person, so I can't expose murderers... but I could do the next best thing. I threatened to air all his dirty laundry online, and I guess he realized who I was. Eventually, after drinking enough at the party, he confronted me about it."

"And then you stabbed him?" Date interrupted.

"Let me finish!"

"Don't mind him," said Boss, flicking Date in the forehead. "You were saying?"

Kei uneasily started again. "You can guess from there. He was like 'you wanna take this outside'? And I, being extremely drunk, followed him and started yelling at him."

[Gosh, I wonder how that could've _possibly_ gone wrong.] Date snarked internally.

"He ended up throwing his bottle at me, but missed. I was panicking so I- I crouched down to pick up the bottle. It was still mostly intact, but it was all jagged off from where it broke." Kei was sweating now, eyes practically spinning. "And I didn't notice he was lunging towards me until- until it was too late."

**[I see... that's how it all went down.]**

"Hm... the facts of the case do corroborate your story. My team did find broken glass at the scene..." Boss mused.

[Aiba, thermo.]

**[At once.]**

Date's vision changed to his thermovision. He observed Kei for any signs of deceit.

[He doesn't appear to be lying.]

**[And from what we saw at OiNet, I'd wager he's not a good enough liar to fool us.]**

"I didn't m-mean to kill him." Kei held his greasy hair in his hands. "It was so sudden, it was in- in my hand and then- it was inside him..."

 **[According to the case file,]** Aiba supplied, **[Rin's cause of death was a puncture wound piercing his internal organs. He was rushed to hospital and later died of exsanguination.]**

[So... it was self defense?]

"I d-didn't care about what your group was doing. I knew... I knew I wasn't some hero of justice. I just had to direct my anger somewhere, or it would destroy me!" He let out something that barely counted as a laugh, voice rising and falling rapidly.

"I know," said Date. "If you treasure justice too much, there comes a point where you trip. You go too far and can't go back. It only takes a slip, a single stumble, and you're in over your head."

Boss watched the two men talk silently, leaning against the wall.

Angered by that previous statement, Kei snarled out a reply. "Don't try to pretend you know how I'm feeling. He _died_ because of me! I kept trying to convince myself it wasn't my fault, but I couldn't do it!"

"...I do know how you're feeling," said Date, closing his eyes with a deep breath.

"What?"

"I mean, we're police," he gestured to himself and Boss, trying to cover his tracks just a little. "We have to make split-second decisions on the nature of justice every day. Is it okay to shoot someone who's taking a hostage? Should you kill a rapist who you know will strike again, before he gets out on insanity plea? When the 'rules' and what we deem to be 'right' don't add up, we humans are compelled to take matters into our own hands."

Kei was frowning at him, trying to see where he was going with this. Even Date didn't know that, in truth. All he knew was that the man in front of him was teetering on the brink of becoming someone, someone who Date had once been. He wanted to get through to that person.

"But sometimes, like in your case, you don't get a chance to decide. But now, the power's in your hands again. You're the only one who can define your life from here on out."

"I don't know..." said Kei. "How can I keep going as Funya after what I did...?"

"My advice is to stop thinking about justice this, justice that." Date responded. "Nobody's ideals ever match up completely. If you're able to do right by the ones close to you, that's good enough. The world isn't yours to fight."

Boss looked softly at them from across the room. "Hey..."

Kei looked down, still clutching the tape in his hands. "What... should I do?"

Boss narrowed her eyes in thought. "Right now, we're looking at manslaughter charges... when your case goes to court, you have no chance. You know what the prosecution rate is like in this country."

 **[Kei Shiraishi is unemployed and has no significant relationships. Even if it was self-defense, with nobody to vouch for him, he will be charged.]** commented Aiba. **[And that's not even going into his acts of cyberterrorism.]**

[I don't know. He sucks, but I kind of feel bad for him.] Date thought.

"But... I have a little idea that might turn things around," chuckled Boss with a jarring amount of levity. The two men looked at her doubtfully, and she hurried to lower their expectations. "Don't hold your breath, though. Whether I can carry out my plan depends on a number of things."

"What plan?"

"I don't think I'll tell you." Boss smiled. "That way, if it doesn't work out, you can't be disappointed."

**[That logic is faulty.]**

"Why are you doing all this for me?" Kei blurted out. "After I threatened you..."

"Hm, who knows?" winked Boss. "Maybe I have a soft spot for vigilantes."

"I don't know how this is going to work, but that's it, right?" Date yawned, pointedly ignoring Boss's last comment. "Case closed."

"Pretty much." said Boss. Kei had an expression that screamed 'easy for you to say'. "All we need to do is delete the posts and we're done."

They looked at Kei expectantly.

"What?"

"We still need your password." said Date.

"Oh." Kei replied, scratching his head. "Come over here, and I'll tell you. It's embarrassing."

Date leaned over as Kei cupped his hands to his ears and whispered. He tried really hard not to laugh and had to excuse himself to get the phone.

* * *

Ten minutes later, the queued posts were deleted, including the original callout targeting ABIS. The lack of sleep was making Date giddy, and he couldn't stop snorting with laughter every few seconds.

 **[Come on. It wasn't that funny.]** an irked Aiba had had enough of his nonsense.

"How can you not laugh at _'llamacuck9'?"_ Date wheezed. "And what does it mean? Does he cuck llamas? Do llamas cuck him? Or maybe each other?"

**[Perhaps it was a typo. Maybe he meant for it to be ' _llama coc_ -]**

[No, you're right. It really isn't that funny.] Date cut her off swiftly.

Kei's conspicuous password now dealt with, it was up to Boss to handle the aftermath. She found Date in a remote wing of the police station, just having finished with the phone. She smiled, satisfied, and leaned her elbow onto the table.

"I know I said it already, but good work, everyone. Of course, I'll be reimbursing you for the work you've done." She promised. And then, as an afterthought: "The coffee, too."

"I should hope so," Date huffed.

Aiba crawled out of her own accord and nodded. " **Yes. Boss, I entrust the matter of Kei's fate to you. We are very tired, so we will sleep for quite a while."**

"Hey, why do I have to go to bed? You're not my mom."

Boss nodded her head, lips pursed slightly. Her eyes were downcast. Date couldn't quite understand the look on her face, but he didn't like it. She should be happy now that everything was resolved, so why did she look so... melancholy?

She smiled again and it was gone. "You're dismissed, then. It is getting late."

"Alright. Take care of yourself." He said with a wave.

"Who do you think I am?" Boss teased. The conversation died down, and soon they went their separate ways. Date glanced over his shoulder at Boss, but she didn't look back.

* * *

The car sped down the highway with reckless abandon, the moonlight twinkling through the window. Aiba lay draped across the dashboard, which was both cute and distracting.

"I wonder if there's time to visit Iris," mused Date on the drive home.

 **[Visitors are prohibited at this time of night. Let's go home.]** Aiba said sharply, liftimg her head up.

"Someone's pushy today. Who unplugged your charger?" argued Date.

 **[There is no need for such robophobic remarks!]** The AI harrumphed, puffing out her cheeks.

[She's been playing that game again, hasn't she...]

Mizuki opened the door before Date was even on their floor. She ran down to the stairs, making a grand racket. "You're late again!"

"Sorry, Mizuki. It should be solved for good this time," said Date, ruffling her hair.

"You said that last time," the girl pouted. "You'd better make it up to me!"

"Uh huh..."

The two retreated into their home, lightly bickering about everything and nothing. Aiba was rather quiet. The lack of sarcastic comments from her was a little off-putting for a reason he couldn't place.

Mizuki turned on the TV and flicked through the channels, looking for something to watch. Normally at this time Date would tell her to go to bed, but he didn't have it in him today. She eventually settled on some wrestling match and jumped onto the sofa. Date joined her, staring blankly past the screen and not registering any of her complaints about the combatants' poor form.

[I wonder what Boss is planning to do.]

**[I have no idea. Knowing her, it could be anything.]**

"This guy's reaction times are garbage," Mizuki commented in the background as the fight continued.

[Thank god everything worked out today. We got so lucky with that stream.]

**[Indeed. You also managed to obtain the password as promised.]**

[I didn't exactly promise.]

**[You can give quite the pep talk when you feel like it, Date.]**

[Shut up.]

He sank further back into the sofa, earning Mizuki's ire.

"Hey, are you paying attention?" she cried.

"No," said Date automatically.

"I'm trying to bond with you by spending time together." She huffed.

"Bond later... sleep now."

Mizuki rolled her eyes with surprising force. "Unbelievable..."

It wasn't long before Date was snoring beside her again. She resisted the urge to shove him off the couch and onto the floor where he belonged. Despite herself, she could feel her own eyelids start to droop. Her body relaxed limply onto his, and she herself began snoring.

 **[So alike,]** thought Aiba. She turned her thoughts away from the sweet scene and towards the issue she intended to face tonight. It may have been time to rest for the others, but Aiba had a job only she could do.

**[Don't worry. I will take care of everything here.]**

The darkness behind Date's closed eyelid faded, and in its place sprung up an unfamiliar room. Aiba was stood in the center with a steely look in her eyes. Her hand crackled with electricity as she raised it in front of her, sending out ripples of static.

Tonight was the night she ended all of this. She parted her lips and whispered the words so embedded in her programming, in her core itself.

**[ _Somnium scan: Activate._ ]**


	10. 割合 (wariAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of surprised myself with how grimdark this chapter got, so please be aware. Although, if you're in this fandom, you probably know what to expect from a Somnium.
> 
> TW this chapter for: canon-typical gore, lots of trauma (physical and otherwise), brief implications of child abuse including CSA, and a big old identity crisis.

It was dark. So, so dark.

All-consuming, as if colour itself was being pulled from the air. A single bright light could be seen in the distance, absorbing all the pitch-black stains from the surroundings.

Date followed the light as his eyes (eye?) adjusted, unable to see even a foot in front of him. The light got closer, and he realized it was actually a person. She had her back to him, touching something in front of her.

"Hm... why isn't this working?"

He recognized the voice right away. "Aiba...? Where are we?"

Aiba turned around, her long hair whipping behind her. It was at this point Date noticed that she wasn't see through. She appeared to be entirely tangible.

He couldn't stop himself from reaching out and touching her veiny arm, just to make sure. It was shockingly solid and didn't fade away or phase through his grasp. She looked at him seriously with the slightest nod.

"You're not a memory version, are you? You're the real you," she mused to herself. "Although, you do seem more cognizant than the last time we were here. We are present on the same plane of existence for the first time."

"Where _is_ here?" asked Date as he looked around. The fog of darkness had lifted a little, and he could now make out that they were in a small, circular room. There were four doors spread out, each with a padlock attached. Keys were scattered all over the floor; Aiba had obviously been trying to get through these doors.

The AI sighed, throwing another defunct key to the floor. "This is your Somnium, Date. It has changed quite a bit since you last visited."

"I've been here before?" he said, dumbstruck.

"Yes, in a dream. You didn't retain those memories, however." Aiba continued casually, as if this wasn't a huge thing to drop on him out of nowhere. "Generally, a person cannot act freely in their own Somnium. You weren't even physically present before."

"Then how am I here now?"

"I believe you are experiencing this as a phenomenon known as 'lucid dreaming'. Perhaps you have gained this ability due to your skills as a Psyncer." She surmised. She was always able to rationalize such insane events so easily. If only it were that easy for everyone. "This could be extremely beneficial."

"So... what you're saying is that I can manipulate this dream." Date surmised, trying to follow the thread of the conversation.

"It's possible. I don't know how much you can influence it, but it's worth trying." She nodded, picking up yet another key. "There are mental locks to undo. Since you're here in Somnium, you can do the legwork this time."

"So we're undoing my mental locks...?" He asked. He wanted to scream - what else could his own mind _possibly_ be keeping from him?

"Yes. There are things you have yet forgotten." Aiba said. "We should solve all this at once so we can truly live in peace."

"This is karmic retribution for all the stupid stuff I made you do, isn't it?" He asked as he took the item and placed it gingerly into one of the locks. A golden glow surrounded the lock, and it clicked into place.

Aiba stared at him with both disbelief and annoyance.

"First time, baby," Date whooped, grabbing the air in satisfaction.

"I think I get it now." Aiba muttered. "Of course - that's why I couldn't open the door on my own. Because the 'key' I needed wasn't with me."

"Explain."

She sighed. "You, Date. Your first name uses the kanji for 'key'."

"Did I... make a pun... subconsciously?" Date gasped, elated. "I knew I was a natural!"

"A natural at _what?_ " Aiba retorted. "More importantly... I have to say that this is the most complex Somnium I've seen yet. I suspect it's because you have Psync knowledge that the rules in this Somnium are being distorted so strangely. You shouldn't be able to set parameters like this."

"It's not like I did it on purpose..." He grumbled. "Well, let's open this thing already."

His hand turned the doorknob, and he was preparing to head inside and face the dangers of the Somnium, when a bright glow exploded out from behind them. The two turned their heads to look, only to see a very familiar face.

A man in a purple coat was standing there. He had blonde hair and two mismatched eyes.

"Saito Sejima." said Date harshly. There it was again - the face that sent tremors up his veins and made his blood run cold.

Saito cocked his head and observed the partners. A disgusting smirk quirked up his lips. "If that's what you want to call me, then fine."

"What does that mean?" Date snarled, fighting the urge to walk right up and beat the shit out of him.

"Date, this isn't really Saito!" Aiba called. "It's your cognition of him!"

"You're half-right," said Saito with a shrug. "Although I'd say I'm more advanced than your usual cognitive being."

"It can't be..."

He remembered someone's warning from long ago.

_"You have Psynced with the Cylops Killer twice. That means that 2% of your personality is Saito Sejima's."_

He remembered Pewter's pleading voice as they called over the laptop.

_"I beg of you, Date... control that 2%. Don't let Saito Sejima turn you into him."_

He remembered the words that chilled his heart so long ago.

_"His personality, his dreams and ideals - they live in you, Special Agent. Like a seed, waiting for nourishment to make them grow. Don't lose to him."_

Date looked up at Saito, eyes narrowed in pure hatred.

"You're... the 2%." He gritted his teeth, staring down his agressor. Saito didn't show any reaction and merely walked forward. Those eyes that once mirrored his own bored into his soul.

He smiled. "Have you made your decision yet?"

"Decision?" asked Date.

"About who you are." Saito said, sitting boredly on a chair that materialized out of thin air. Damn you, dream logic.

"What are you saying?" Date gripped his hand into a fist. "I'm just me. Kaname Date."

"Then why are you so close with the Sagans?" Saito said. "They have no connection to your 'Kaname Date' persona. Those memories aren't his to keep. He isn't Falco - or should I say 'Hayato Yagyu'?"

"Don't say that name." He spat out through gritted teeth.

"Though, Kaname has a lot of things that Hayato didn't." The other continued with no regard for the complaints thrown his way. "Like Mizuki, for example. And Aiba. And that nice clean slate! But Kaname shouldn't have a past with Iris and Hitomi. That's someone else's life he's laying claim to."

Aiba had heard enough, walking up to the cognitive Saito with a sour expression. "That's enough. Stop running your mouth or I will make you regret it."

"It's... okay, Aiba," said her partner with a pained smile. "It's not real. Don't get worked up."

Aiba didn't listen and grabbed Saito's arm. A cloud of rubble erupted from the wall as her body was slammed against it.

Date saw red and immediately forgot his previous words.

"I don't know if you're a dream person or what, but keep your hands off my partner!" 

He went in for the attack, but Saito was faster. He clicked his fingers and a metal gate rose up around Aiba, trapping her inside.

"This has nothing to do with her! Let her go!" Date shouted.

"That's exactly why I'm keeping her out of this. How can you know who you are with another consciousness in your brain?" said Saito, clearly pleased with his logic.

Aiba shook the gate, pulling uselessly at the metal. "Let me go, you... you imaginary... brain tyrant!"

He laughed as he gripped Date's face. "I'm not going to hurt her. But I need to make sure she isn't going to inter-" he tore out the Aiba eye with a squishy pop "-fere."

Having your eye pulled out... it's something impossible to get used to. Although he'd already lost an eye - two, counting Aiba's destruction - to this very man, it never stopped being excruciating. Blood flooded out of the empty socket, crimson usurping his sight

_It's just a dream. It's just a dream._

He repeated that to himself over and over. Since the blood was filling his vision, he couldn't see if Aiba was okay. It was just a dream. She'd be alright. She had to be.

Date wrenched himself up from the floor, failing to even look up at the man before him. "Why... are you doing this...?"

The man pointed to the previously unlocked door. "Proceed through this dream. Undo the mental locks."

"Not until you release Aiba," he hissed, and his head was promptly crushed underfoot. Of all the people who could've stepped on him, of course it had to be FUCKING Saito. A lucid dream, hah! More like a lucid nightmare.

"I'm not doing that." Saito said.

"Then I'm not going anywhere."

Saito's brow furrowed slightly, irritated but not really surprised. "I'm a dream creation. I have all the time in the world. Since this is your Somnium, you can't get out when six minutes are up. You can't switch bodies with yourself, after all."

Date struggled to think of a solution. "Th... Then... Awaken."

"The 'safe word' Boss came up with, eh? Nice try, but that only works when you're hooked up to the Psync Machine," said Saito, almost taking glee in this situation. "If you don't solve the Somnium, you can't wake up. You'll be trapped in here forever."

"What...?"

"So unless you want your little nap to turn into a coma, I suggest you get going." With that, Saito disappeared, although Date suspected he hadn't seen the last of him.

Shit. What should he do? Could he even do anything without Aiba? She was the one with the analysis, the intellect, everything. And most of all, he didn't want to leave her.

Aiba moved into his view, her figure obscured by the metal bars. "Date. I will be fine. I am merely being compartmentalized. You have to go on."

"But I can't do anything without you." He said, a palm plastered across his eye to stem the blood flow. Softly glowing red arms slipped through the bars. It was a tight squeeze, but she could make it.

"That is not true." Her hands cupped his face, forcing him to look up into her eyes. "My plans are useless without a capable host to carry them out. It is I who am nothing without you."

"Aiba..."

"So go. I know you can do it." She smiled. Her hands felt surprisingly warm.

"I will." Date dragged himself to his feet. "I'll... I'll get us out of here."

Aiba nodded. He turned away, trying to open the door they had previously unlocked. It opened easily, swinging widely. Date looked back at Aiba.

"Go!" She said. He didn't need telling twice. Mentally apologizing, he stepped through the threshold and walked out of her sight.

* * *

The scenery changed as soon as he went through the door. He found himself in a large, luxurious garden, being soaked by thunderous rain. The grass - the architecture- everything was so _clear._

_This is... So Sejima's mansion._

It certainly was, but he couldn't think for the life of him why this place would appear. For now, he ran through the garden pathway, trying to get out of the storm. Rain mingled with the blood streaking down his left cheek, leaving a dripping trail on the path. He slammed open the sliding door, not even noticing the dark handprint he left on the shutter.

"Is anyone there? Hello?"

There was no point in calling out. Even if someone answered, they'd be a figment of his imagination. Regardless, he couldn't shake the presence he was feeling. He opened the shutter to another room, only to give a start as he saw someone peering back.

It was Mizuki. Her eyes were wide and horrified as she stared past him, shaking slightly. He heard the bang of a gun going off and leapt into action before he could think. He wrapped his arms around the girl and dove to the floor, rolling out of the way. Because of Saito, he couldn't clearly see who or what was shooting at them. The only thing he could sense was Mizuki shivering against him.

He pulled out a gun, not stopping to think who, or why, or even since when he had a weapon on him.

He shot at something, vaguely the direction of the enemy - and in his limited vision, he saw a bullet speeding towards them. All he could do was hug Mizuki tighter as the bullet pierced his empty eye socket.

"Agh.... AGHHHH!!" Intense stings of pain rang throughout his whole body as yet more blood cascaded down his face. Some of it dripped onto Mizuki's jacket, staining it a muddy orange. Before he could make sense of what was happening, the girl in his arms faded away, along with the gun in his hand.

~~MENTAL LOCK #1: Saved Mizuki.~~

He lay scrunched up on the ground, unable to do anything but yelp in pain. Why was this happening? He couldn't understand. The man shuddered on the tatami floor, taking shaky breaths and trying to calm down. When he glanced around the room once more, Saito was standing in the corridor.

"You...! Where's... Mizuki...?" He shot out through raspy inhales.

"That was just a memory," said Saito. "The real Mizuki is at home."

"How can this be a memory? Nothing... nothing like this ever happened!"

The other sighed. "It's the truth. This is the fate of another world's you."

"What the fuck are you talking abo-"

"Don't antagonize me. I'm not the villain here." said Saito. "I'm only here to make you progress."

"But you-" the incapacitated man wheezed. "Are you saying- this is some- some parallel world? And in that world- someone was shooting at me and Mizuki?"

"Yes."

His eyes narrowed. "...So Sejima?"

"Nice. You're starting to remember." A surprisingly amicable smile crossed Saito's features.

"No... that's not right..."

"Hm?"

"It was... Saito Sejima. He body swapped with his father, and..." Hazy words were flowing out of Date's mouth. He was on the brink of passing out. Could you even do that in a Somnium, the numb part of his brain wondered.

"And what else?" asked Saito.

Date shook his head. "I can't remember."

"Pity. How are you going to come to terms with yourself if you can't recall all the paths you have walked?"

"Can you stop speaking in riddles and just-"

Saito ignored him. "Still, this particular world... it wasn't all that bad. See, over there."

He followed where he was pointing to see a hospital bed in the middle of the room. The memory Mizuki was slumped over the bed, sobbing quietly.

Date approached her, unsure. "Mizuki...?"

As he got closer, he could see the person in the bed. Saito... no... was that Date himself? It must be, if Mizuki was there. He found himself shocked at how inconsolable she was. All those tears, that expression - because of him? Because he got shot?

"I'm going to bring you home." Mizuki said abruptly. "Wait for me, Date."

Flashes of scenes he'd never experienced filled his brain: a monochrome house, a prayer at the shrine, waking up to see Mizuki smiling and feeling like everything would be okay.

"Mizuki." He was unable to say anything else. "Oh god, Mizuki. She... she saved me. I... I have to wake up and make sure she's alright! I don't want her to see me in a coma again!"

"I understand, but don't be so hasty," Saito replied. "There is more you must face in this dream. Aiba was correct to bring you here. If you didn't confront your Somnium, you would have eventually torn yourself apart. You would likely suffer a mental breakdown from all the parts of yourself you locked away."

"I'm having a mental breakdown right goddamn now," was all Date could bring himself to snark in response. His eye, or lack thereof, was still hurting like a bitch, and the bullet wasn't helping matters. Saito snickered and stepped aside, opening yet another shutter to reveal a door.

"Keep the momentum going."

Date didn't feel like sticking around to get lectured even more, so he dragged his sorry carcass through it without a backwards glance.

Only three more to go, right? What could the next locks possibly have in store for him...?

He steeled himself and moved before he lost his nerve. The scenery had changed drastically again - this time it was...

"Okiura Fishery Cold Storage Warehouse..."

The cold gnawed at his wounds as he shakily wandered around the area. This was where Manaka's body should be... but more than that, the thing catching his attention was the giant ice cutter in the middle of the room.

It appeared to have a polar bear lying under it. Or at least, a person in a polar bear costume. Was this a memory too? Why the hell would something like this happen? 

The saw dangling above the bear's midsection made him anxious. They shouldn't be lying under there, it was clearly dangerous. As he approached, he noticed the person was breathing shallowly, probably already injured. He reached out to carry them out from under the machine, but his hands didn't make contact. He couldn't remove the bear from their situation.

A terrible feeling burned in his stomach like bile. He looked up again to see So Sejima's body, reaching for the lever for the ice machine.

"No," he whispered. "No, stop!"

So's hand lingered around the handle, as if he was savouring the tension of the moment. Then, in a single concise movement, he pressed down. The saw slowly sped up, descending at a torturous pace. The person in the suit didn't move - or maybe they _couldn't._

Date tried again to frantically grab at the person and pull them out, but his hands phased uselessly through as the blade rotated ever lower. _Damn it... this isn't... working! Fuck it!_

He jammed his hands under the circular saw and tried to wrench it up. Whoever this person was, they didn't deserve this. Luckily, and also unluckily, it did seem like he could touch the object. Chunks of flesh were ripped out of his palms as he strained to hold up the contraption, the pain aggravated more with each revolution of the saw. Slicing deeper, severing, severing...

"Stop that. You'll lose your hands." Saito said from behind.

"It's... just a dream..." said Date, tears of effort pricking his eye. "I'll be fine..."

"If it's just a dream, then you don't need to save him."

"I'm not letting someone die in front of me, never again." Date spat.

But the blade lowered, and lowered, until he could hold it no longer. Nearly collapsing, his exhausted nerves spasming in his arms like live wires, he dropped the ball.

Like a guillotine, it sliced the person. Cut them into two pieces, the saw thudding and scraping against their exposed spine. They looked more like a slab of meat on a cutting board than a person. He had to fight the urge to throw up.

They were dead. And So - Saito, probably - killed them. With his lacerated, bloody hands staining the fur, Date picked up the polar bear's head and pulled it aside.

Ota Matsushita was inside, the whites of his drooped eyes shining soullessly into the dark. His skin was so pale, borderline blue with cold.

_Why, why, why..._

~~MENTAL LOCK #2: Witnessed his death.~~

"Why Ota?!" He found himself yelling. "Why would you kill him in such a horrible way- I knew you were depraved but holy FUCK!"

Saito lingered behind, quiet. "I suppose it is my fault he died."

Date snarled and was next to him in a flash, wrenching him up in the air by his collar. He couldn't even feel the pain from his hands anymore. "Don't act like this has nothing to do with you! You're the one that did this!"

To his surprise, the man barely reacted. "Yes... I did it. It's because of me that all these people were killed." He said, staring Date down blankly.

"No shit it is!" Date exclaimed. A hatred he hadn't felt for years rotted his brain. "Don't sound so indifferent about it, you piece of garbage...!"

Saito kept his disdainful gaze fixed. "Now Hayato, you don't exactly have the right to condemn me for that, do you?"

"It's different," he said, his grip loosening as he let Saito touch the floor once more. "I did it to stop the criminals - protect vulnerable people..."

"Like yourself?"

" _What?"_ hissed Date.

"You regained most of your memories as Falco, didn't you?" Saito said simply. "It seems like you don't remember #89's story in its entirety..."

"What are you talking about." It was a demand, not a question.

"You grew up in an orphanage, I'm sure you remember that much," Saito prompted him. "It was truly an awful place. What was it #89 said about his time there...? Ah, yes, _he suffered every kind of abuse imaginable._ No wonder you decided to take Mizuki under your wing."

Date wanted to say something to shut him up, but no words could come out. _Don't talk about us. Don't talk about Mizuki with that face, that voice._

"That place was awful," Saito continued. "It was the staff's fault you ended up so warped. I mean, surely you knew you learned such perverted behavior from _somewhere._ "

"You talk as if you've been there," snarled Date, trying to focus on anything other than Saito's words and Ota's brutalized corpse behind him.

"Maybe I have. But we've talked too long already," Saito shrugged before walking to the back of the warehouse, around the ice cutter machine and the gory scene there. Date followed, ready to give him what for, but Saito merely gestured to a door that had appeared.

"Third time's the charm," Date muttered bitterly. He knew by this point there was no option but to keep going. He was going to get Aiba the hell out of here and go home to Mizuki, and Iris, and...

Hitomi...

How would Hitomi feel, if he never woke up? If she lost Date so soon after Iris was committed to the hospital?

_No, no, I can't let that happen. She's suffered enough! I have to get out and protect her!_

He barrelled through the door, convinced he would be numb to whatever horror Mental Lock #3 was about to throw at him. Fuelled only by spite and an equal amount of love, he forced his torn-up body forwards, practically falling into the next room.

* * *

This time, it was the chemical plant in the Kabasaki District. For some reason, Date wasn't surprised by this. The prototype Psync Machine that no longer existed in reality held Iris in its grasp.

She had her eyes closed, barely clinging to life. It reminded him of how she'd looked that day at Ikume Shrine, tired and haggard. How close they'd been to losing her for good. What painful fate had befallen Iris in this world...?

Expecting Saito to show up and give some cryptic suggestion for how to proceed, he looked around the room, but ol' Cyclops was nowhere to be seen. He huffed out an incredulous laugh. For the first time in six years, he was completely alone. Silence roared in his ears, louder and more shrill than Aiba's voice ever was.

He steadied himself and moved over to the contraption in the center of the room. Almost a week ago now, this machine was destroyed by Mizuki; he still had its parts stashed away in the car. Despite its demise, it looked like it wasn't going to stop haunting Date any time soon.

Iris groaned softly in the chair, pain clear on her features. Date instinctively brushed her hair out of her face, looking sadly down at her. Then he noticed - unlike Ota, he could touch her. She must be crucial to this puzzle if that was the case.

He lightly shook her shoulder to avoid causing more distress for her. "Iris. Iris, wake up."

She turned her head to the side, glazed and dull eyes wincing at him. Seeing that bright blue gaze marred by agony, a thousand thoughts shot through him at light speed.

Her Somnium - it was ShovelForge, of _course_ it was - and the memory of her unhealthy mental state bleeding into his, following their Psync...

The blind belief and everything he'd done to save her flashed in his mind, so vibrant it physically hurt. He had to save Iris still, in this world, how had he done that?

He remembered. 

They'd Psynced using the prototype machine. In order to do that-

...

Date looked up at the ceiling, damp and moldy from the rain. He laughed mirthlessly to himself.

"Haha... you've got to be kidding me."

The laughter abruptly stopped. The dream was silent, still, asking for the impossible. He knew what it wanted.

"I _said,_ you've got to be kidding me!" He yelled, pounding the nearest wall with his fist, ignoring the pain from his prior injuries.

 _This_ was the punishment, the assassin realized. This nightmare of a dream, all these paths walked over and over in an attempt to save everyone... repeating the same things over and over without knowing it...

This was the punishment for what Falco did. For what Hayato Yagyu did. For what Kaname Date did. It didn't matter which one. Who even cared to differentiate any more? 

He halfheartedly crawled forward, reaching out a hand to Iris, two fingers extended, until...

The hand dropped limply to his side. Iris kept breathing shallowly, unaware.

"Haha... I... I can't do it." he said to nobody, laughing again, at what?

_Sorry, Aiba... Iris... everyone... this is my limit..._

_I'm too weak to even repent like this..._

That was when Date collapsed to his knees and fell to the floor. Everything went even blacker than before, and his last coherent thought was that he never wanted to see anything ever again.

* * *

Mizuki awoke with a start, covered in beads of cold sweat. Another nightmare about her mother's death... when was she going to get over that already?

"Ugh, it's freaking cold. Need to change clothes..." she mumbled to herself. She hadn't been expecting to fall asleep on the couch. She'd only been able to sleep in the bed ever since she first came to this house. Maybe she was growing as a person? Ha, as if.

She changed into her pyjamas quickly and threw on her Adorabbit scarf to keep warm, shivering at the sound of the rain outside. She almost returned to the sofa, but the realization that Date was still asleep made her give pause. 

She made a face to herself and pulled a blanket over the both of them before snuggling into the sofa. She didn't want to bother him over something as trivial as a nightmare. Not after all the work he did trying to chase down the blackmailer and clean up the scandal at ABIS.

Mizuki tried really hard to get comfy. She hated that feeling - alone in the middle of the night, when everyone abandoned you to a sleep that only you can't reach. Either you suffer in silence, or you wake them up and they get mad. Both had happened several times before, courtesy of Shouko. She was angry, and helpless, and god, she hated feeling like this.

The girl shifted on the couch in yet another attempt to settle down, but inside, she'd already accepted her fate of insomnia. She'd tried to contact Aiba as a last resort via the AiLite, but even that wasn't working. Must be because of the weather, she reasoned. Poor Aiba.

She looked at Date's sleeping face and felt unreasonably mad. She wanted to punch something, either that or stay curled up until she became one with the sofa.

"Dammit... why?" she whined quietly. "You're right here, so why...?"

_Why do I feel so alone?_


	11. 理解 (rikAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's up psyncers. I'm a bit late but Happy AInniversary. Can't believe it's been a year since this game came out. The next chapter will be the last- thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> And now, back to Kaname Date's terrible horrible no good very bad day

The taste of blood lingered in his mouth as he slowly came to his senses. It had dried out by now, and the pounding in his head was less frequent. From his place on the floor, he could see Iris's legs sticking out from the chair, reminding him of where he was. The Somnium had no intention of ending any time soon, it appeared.

"Saito," he said in a gravelly voice. "Where are you, you son of a bitch?"

On cue, the glowing form of Saito appeared before him. "You called?"

Date used the machine to brace himself as he got up off the floor for what felt like the hundredth time. "What happened? What did you do to me?"

Saito looked offended. "I didn't do anything. Hell, I didn't know what would happen if you lost consciousness in your own Somnium. The stress must have made the dream fluctuate."

Date glanced at Iris, motionless in the chair. "What does that mean? What happens if you lose consciousness?"

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, I'd say the world outside and the world inside have become even more distant," Saito theorized. "Time doesn't operate the same. Without the six-minute announcements to guide us, there's no telling how long we've been in here."

"Who's this 'we'?" Date complained, folding his arms. "To start with, if you're Saito, why are you so fixated on getting me through this?"

"That's just your assumption." said Saito.

"What is?"

Saito rolled his eyes. "Every last word out of your mouth is 'what, what, what'. Aren't you a detective? Figure things out on your own." With that declaration, he vanished once more.

"Well fuck you too." Date murmured, less sad now and more really pissed off. At least the anger was motivation to move forward - thanks a lot, Saito. But still, in order to do that, he had to recreate that time.

A time he barely recalled, let alone understood.

Wasn't he supposed to be able to control this dream? If so, then there had to be another way. He wished with all his might for something to happen, _anything else but this._

Date kept wishing, even as he reached inside and gouged out Iris's eye.

He tried not to focus on the sensations as fingers brushed the inside of her eyelid, under the unblinking sphere. Seeing it made his own hollow wound burn even more than before as his sweaty hands struggled to get hold. God, this was _Iris,_ someone Date thought of as like his own daughter, and here he was with his fingers in her eyesocket, about to - he couldn't bring himself to think it.

He bit the bullet and pulled it out as quickly as possible, not wanting to prolong her suffering. Her moans of pain were quiet, like she'd already given up.

 _I'm sorry I couldn't save you in this world,_ he thought, clasping the eyeball in his palm and wrenching, tearing the optic nerve. He held the eye in his hands, slumping down as if in prayer.

~~MENTAL LOCK #3: Ripped her eye out.~~

He took a deep breath, trying to mentally recover as well as prepare himself for what lay ahead. The fourth and final mental lock was likely to be just as traumatizing as the ones before, if not worse.

But traumatizing as they were... there were also sweet memories, coming back to him one by one. Spending time getting dragged around by Iris... Ota and Mayumi laughing together over chocolate... Aiba saving his life as he was shot... and Mizuki, jumping into his arms with a 'Welcome Home'.

It hurt. It hurt so damn much, but he was glad to have remembered such fleeting moments.

_They might not all be happy memories, but they're all important._

Date had said that once, hadn't he, when he and Aiba went to Mayumi's Somnium. If Mayumi could remember so much pain and make it out the other side, so could he. Was this what Saito was aiming for?

He wouldn't get any answers by standing there, so he looked around for the large door that had appeared when he undid the last two mental locks. It had replaced the back room door, waiting solemnly to be entered.

"Here goes nothing."

* * *

Meanwhile in the key room, Aiba was still stuck, metal poles blocking her off from leaving. The gaps weren't big enough to slip through, so there was no way to escape. She looked for anything nearby she could use that might help her pry them apart, but no dice.

Suddenly, a burst of energy hit her square in the chest. She felt static charging in her veins, and before she knew it she'd transformed back to her regular form. She fell to the ground with a squish and bounced back up again. Aiba regarded the metal bars and glanced down at her little hamster body.

She easily walked through the gap in that form, and she was free-

Well, she had to get out of this room first.

As she cantered over to the first door, crossing vast expanses of carpet, she found herself wondering why all that power welled up out of nowhere. It must have been something Date did - he must have sent power to her, possibly without realizing. He'd wrangled the dream, if only for a moment.

She turned back to her human form in order to reach the doorknob, but it didn't matter. _I see, it locks automatically once someone goes through it,_ she thought. That was all well and good, but it meant she was still trapped in this room. How annoying.

Tapping her feet impatiently, she kicked up some dust from the floor. How should she proceed? Perhaps now that she wasn't trapped, she could function as normal. She reached out to Mizuki through her other self in the AiLite, but couldn't reach her. She must have taken it off.

 _Hitomi, then,_ Aiba decided. It was entirely possible that Hitomi wasn't wearing her AiLite either, in which case she would be completely screwed, but she had to give it a try.

"Aiba?"

Aiba had never been so glad to hear Hitomi's voice.

"Aiba, is that you?" the voice echoed around the room, barely reaching her.

"Can you hear me?" Aiba asked the voice.

"Oh- oh my god." Hitomi sounded close to tears. "You're okay! I kept trying to get through to you but n-nothing worked. What happened?"

"I will explain," said Aiba, "but first, you need to tell me what your situation is. What happened to our body in the real world?"

"Our... the real world?" Hitomi's disembodied voice murmured in confusion. "You mean Date? He's at Central Hospital right now... Mizuki told me he was in a coma. He hasn't woken up for the past two weeks."

Aiba grit her teeth. She'd prepared for something like this to happen, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. Something must have gone wrong with the Somnium. She tried to keep cool and asked, "And where is Mizuki?"

"She's staying with this Boss person, I believe?" replied Hitomi. "She said she knew her."

Despite all the chaos, that made Aiba feel relief. Mizuki was in good hands. She shifted her thoughts to the problem at hand.

"Listen carefully, Hitomi. What I need you to do is..."

* * *

Hesitantly, Date opened the door and peeked inside. The next destination was a place he knew well - a clinical white room with a machine in the center, nearly identical to the one in the last room. It was the Psync room.

That was a bit of a relief for some reason. Even in a different parallel world, Date was doing what he did best. He glanced the place over, looking for Saito or anyone else, but nobody was there. The control room several floors up was equally desolate.

There was really only one thing that could be done in this room. It was intuitive enough that he automatically lied down at the machine without question, despite the lack of anyone to Psync with. He attached the visor to his face and heard the beeps of the machine coming to life. Without anyone visibly controlling it, it almost felt like the thing was sentient.

 _No, bad thought, creepy thought. Go away._ He decided to crack a joke to cheer himself up.

"Psync-ception." Date muttered half-heartedly. There was no response.

"It's just not the same without Aiba."

With that, the Psync started. It was over in an instant, as if this wasn't what the dream was trying to show him. Annoyed, he took the visor off, and immediately fell over as he tried to get up. In the other chair opposite was a familiar face. Once again, it was Saito.

"Hey, you," Date called out to him, and the sound of his voice shocked him into silence. It wasn't his own, or even Saito's. The voice was female, and a quick look downwards confirmed his suspicions.

He was Boss. Her body, her voice, her face, all of it. He could sort of guess what happened given that Saito's body was right there, but whether this was the cognitive Saito he'd been talking to or a memory version, he couldn't tell. He tried to push himself off the floor, but his new limbs weren't co-operating. Saito was heading for the door, having got what he wanted.

If Date was in this body, where was Boss? What about Aiba? All the others in this world, what became of them?

He barely registered Saito collapsing to the ground. His- no, Boss's leg was quickly losing blood from a bullet wound. Her body was in tatters, her mind elsewhere.

Aiba hopped out of Saito's unconscious form and wobbled over, answering one question, at least.

"Aiba! You got out of the cage," He said in relief.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah... but how'd you...?"

She didn't respond, and it was then that Date realized. This one wasn't the real Aiba, either. It was yet another memory. For a second, he'd thought she had made her way here on her own. The disappointment was immense as he realized he was still alone in this dream, now being taunted by visions of her.

"Parallel worlds..."

Boss's voice came out, even though Date hadn't said anything.

"What?" said Aiba.

"If... parallel worlds are real... do you think... we could've..." said the weak voice.

Aiba didn't say anything for a while. She came closer to Boss's outstretched arm and held onto her pinky finger. "I don't believe in such things. But if it will make you feel better, there is something I can do."

"What?"

"I can broadcast an SOS signal," she said. "And it will be sent all over with the help of Wadjet. We can send encrypted messages to ensure the truth comes out. It is like subliminal messaging. Theoretically, it could even make it onto satellites. From there, it'll reach the edges of the universe."

"And... you're saying... that signal can reach parallel worlds?"

"Maybe it can. Why not? Even I don't know the limits of Wadjet's influence." Aiba's laugh was fragile. Her words were clearly kind lies to the Date of this world, and he could see she was equally as pained. Never would Aiba make uncertain statements otherwise.

"Then..." Boss's voice grew even smaller. "In that world... we'll know everything... so we can save everyone who died..."

"Date, are you okay? Hang in there, I'm calling for help! I'll get Pewter and... hey, stay with me. Come on..."

Aiba couldn't be heard anymore. Her voice was gone, and it was just him and Saito, who was inexplicably upright again. Date just looked at him tiredly. Even the fear was gone now, emptiness taking its place. He doubted anything Saito said could hurt him at this point.

"You look like crap," said Saito rudely. Date nodded in response. "Do you see now why this happened?"

"Aiba's signal..." Date murmured. The world as he knew it was crashing down around him, and it was all he could do to try and make sense of it. Even at a time like this, his detective instincts tried to put things together. "We really picked it up in this world? Is that what's going on?"

"That's right." Saito said. "And she didn't think it would work, either! Her subliminal messaging reached your subconscious mind. That's why this Somnium fluctuated so much. In the end, it was thanks to the experiences of alternate worlds that you were able to find a conclusion where everyone survived."

"Not everyone," corrected a reluctant Date. "Renju and Shoko are still dead."

"That's true. But there's only so much you can do," Saito shrugged. "The signal didn't tell you everything. Just subconscious messages, making you a little more wary of some people, suggesting certain decisions. I don't think even Aiba realized what was happening."

"That's crazy. Wadjet is so advanced, it can trick itself?"

"I don't know how it works. I'm a dream being, I don't have all the answers."

Date narrowed his (Boss's) eyes. "Are you really what remains of Saito Sejima? All this time, you've been nudging me along, giving me hints. Why would you do that?"

Saito stared for a second, glazed, before laughing. "I didn't say I was Saito. You decided that I was."

"But you look just like him." pointed out Date.

"And why do you think that is?" He smiled. "It sure would be convenient if his memories coalesced into one form, easy for you to Psync away. But the truth isn't that kind. The 2% of Saito is more than me. It's etched deep into your consciousness, a part of you now. He's in words, in thoughts, in actions. There's no way to stop it."

"..." Date fell silent, his phantom wound still aching. "And who are you, if not Saito?"

"You already know," he said. "There's only one other person who used this body, after all."

Immediately, he understood. The person before him now, in Saito's body, was none other than...

"You're me," said Date. "From when I had Saito's appearance..."

"Something like that," said Saito, or not-Saito, or whatever. His demeanor didn't change at all by this relevation. He was physically every bit the real Saito, even down to the crazed eyes, looming overhead. A sudden thought hit Date: _Is that what I looked like to the targets I chased down?_

A sudden anger flared up, desperately pushing that thought aside. "If you're me, then why were you being such an ass to me?"

"It's because of how you perceive yourself. You recognize the commonalities between yourself and Saito Sejima, and with your recent knowledge of 'the 2%' as you called it, you see me like this. Because you know you're no better than him."

"No..." He breathed out.

"Accept it. You know I'm right." The other Date insisted. "Now that you've remembered everything, are you any closer to making your decision?"

Date stared helplessly. How could someone just decide something like that? Nobody could react rationally to being told to discard half their life. And yet, that seemed to be the only way out of this dream. His head was overflowing with memories so foreign yet familiar. If it was like this... he might never wake up. Maybe that would be better...

As he was thinking that, another voice caught their attention.

_Wake up! Please, wake up!_

"Mizuki?" Date called out, spinning around in search of her. Saito looked just as surprised.

_Please... don't do this. You have to get up._

"Hitomi..." Saito echoed, caught off guard. Date felt something steel inside him as he finally got off the floor.

"That's right... people are waiting for me." He said. "Aiba is, too. I have to go back."

"No. Not yet." Saito grabbed his arm with a grimace. Date didn't turn back to look at him. "We haven't resolved anything here!"

"If I told you one name or the other..." Date began. "Would you really be okay with that? Making a decision without my heart in it?"

"That's not what matters," The other exclaimed. "You have to have a self. It's the simplest, most basic thing for a human being. By denying both selves, you erase everything."

"You're... you're wrong. I'm not denying anything." said Date. "I take full responsibility for everything I did in the past, but I'm still the me of the present."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Saito's grip grew tighter on his sleeve.

"I realized something important while I was here. Every world, though every timeline, I was supported by various people. Sometimes, i supported them."

"So what?"

"And then I realized... it's the same as that thing Boss told me about." Somehow, he managed to smile. " _I is another._ I do have fragments of Saito inside me, but that's not all. I Psynced with a lot of people over the years. I'm part Saito Sejima, but I'm also part Aiba, part Mizuki Okiura, part Iris Sagan... even part Ota Matsushita and everyone else I Psynced with. If people's egos can corrupt your personality, they can also heal and change you for the better."

Saito scoffed. "What the hell are you saying? That's stupid. Even if that were true, you still wouldn't have a 'self'."

"I don't think that's exclusive to Psyncers," Date raised his eyebrows. "Everyone is influenced by the people they meet. Parents imprint their views... friends open your mind - no pun intended. We define ourselves by how we mesh with others. Ai is another... in Japanese, you could interpret it as 'love is other people'."

"I've never heard such twee nonsense in my life." Saito snapped. "It isn't that easy."

"Not for you, maybe. But I'm happy with my life, crazy as it is," replied Date. He'd never been more sure of anything. "Sure, it's painful. But the people make it worth it."

Saito frowned and snatched his hand away. He didn't seem to know what to say.

"You make me want to throw up."

Never mind. He knew exactly what he was saying.

"I can't stand this any longer." Saito shook his head and pulled yet another key out of his pocket. He shoved the item at Date and turned away. "Go on, get out of here before I change my mind."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes."

"Also? It's _our_ mind."

"Shut your mouth." Saito retorted.

Before they could fight any more, the automatic doors to the Psync Room opened.

"Why'd the doors suddenly open-?" Standing there with a mildly surprised expression was Aiba. She looked at the scene before her for a few seconds before it registered. She ran up to the Psync Machine where they were stood and freaked when she saw the state of them.

"Why is Boss here with Saito?" She gasped. "Where's Date?"

"Right here." He raised a hand.

"-What?" Aiba looked as confused as he felt.

"I'll explain later."

"...Okayyyy. Ignoring that for a moment, what's happening here?" She asked. Saito gestured to the key and shrugged, before walking away into the distance and disappearing. "Is... is he gone?"

"I doubt it, somehow. But maybe that's okay." Date said thoughtfully.

"...I am sorry." She said, hanging her head. "I never imagined this place could have become so bleak in such a short amount of time. I should have consulted you before coming to your Somnium."

"Forget that, Aiba," said Date excitedly, pointing across the room to a new set of doors that had materialized. "Once we go through there, the final Mental Lock will be undone."

"Oh, right. How did you solve the ones up to this point?" She finally remembered to ask. Date's silence was very telling.

"You'll remember too once we wake up. You'll be able to see my thoughts." He said eventually. "I can't hide it from you even if I want to."

"That's a very concerning way of putting it." She said. She decided not to push it and moved closer to the door, looking back to see if he was following. "Are you ready to go back to the real world?"

"Not yet. There's something I need to do first."

"What's tha- eh?"

Aiba watched, stunned, as Date trapped her in a hug. She thought she'd short-circuit from surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry." He muttered into her back. "I don't know if we'll ever exist in the same space again... so I couldn't miss this chance."

"Oh." She replied, not sure what to say. Her eyes roamed the room, settling on the large bloodstain on the floor. Her grip tightened around him. "I see."

"That's kind of your job." Date said immediately, though his usual playful tone had dulled.

"Enough," She pulled away and playfully punched his shoulder. "If you're well enough to joke around, we should get going."

They both looked up at the door, imposing as usual, but something about it was inviting after having gone through so much. Aiba nodded once, and Date used the key to open it.

"Real world, here we come," he said.

"You know, it's strange. This was all in all a terrible experience, but..." Aiba cocked her head. "I feel as though... I'm looking forward to waking up more than I would normally."

Date made a noise of assent. "Yeah. I can't wait to see everyone again... there's a lot I need to talk to them about."

Then Aiba continued, "Of course, that's only natural after spending two weeks here."

"I'm sorry, TWO WEEKS?!" Date spluttered.

"Oh, did I not mention? We're in a coma right now." Aiba said, blasé as ever.

"No you didn't mentio- whatever. It's over now," responded Date. He still smacked his palm to his forehead in frustration, though. "Mizuki's gonna kill me..."

She smiled. "Let's go."

Without wasting any further words, they stepped outside.

~~MENTAL LOCK #4: Made peace.~~

* * *

"...Urgh..."

Date's eyes suddenly opened. The blurry white ceiling above indicated that this was a hospital, but the bright shapes below in a variety of colours couldn't be placed. The shapes moved, and as his vision adjusted, it became apparent they were alive. People.

He raised a hand to rub the sleep away, only to feel a painful yank on his arm. 

[Oh... must be an IV...]

He blinked, and the people became more clear. As his hearing returned, murmurs and loud exclamations alike could be heard.

"Date!" cried Mizuki's voice, throwing herself onto the hospital bed with a throaty wail.

"Mizuki, no! Don't crush him!" Iris said sternly.

"Oh... oh my god."

That gentle voice made Date's heart skip a beat. Hitomi was standing opposite, her eyes filling with tears.

"Hey, guys..." croaked Date. "Why all the tears?"

"You should know!" Hitomi sobbed, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. "I told you... I told you I couldn't lose anyone else! I was so scared! Iris finally got discharged, and then YOU fell into a coma!"

"Hitomi... I'm so sorry." was all he could say.

"Are we interruptin' somethin' here?" said Moma. Wait, Moma? What was he doing here?

"I'll go get the nurse and let her know he woke up," said Ota, who Date hadn't even noticed.

"Why are there so many people here?" He asked.

"Oh, this isn't all," said Iris, chipper as usual. "Mama and Boss went to the cafeteria to buy snacks for everyone."

"Them too?!"

Hitomi smiled, still a bit bleary-eyed. "Aiba contacted me while you were out. She said to gather our mutual friends here to help you wake up. And it seems like it worked."

"The power of friendship!" Iris interjected.

"That's so cliché," Ota sighed. "I'm never using that trope when I get published, it's seriously overdone."

"Well, I like it." Iris said.

"Did I say never? I meant definitely."

The door opened and everyone looked towards it. Boss and Mama were standing there, bags of treats in hand, chatting away to each other. When they saw Date sitting up in bed, Mama dropped the bag in shock, which landed directly on Boss's foot.

"Ow!"

Mama wasn't listening, joining Mizuki and Date on the group hug and squishing everyone else. "You're awake! About time, honey."

"Mama, I'm touched and all, but you're going to break my spine-"

"Thank goodness," Boss let out a sigh in the background. "I don't know what's happening, but seems like it's all good now."

Iris smacked her hands together. "Oh, that's what I forgot to do. I was going to prepare another impromptu dance routine, but there wasn't enough time for that."

"Please don't remind me." Date whined.

"Well, if everything's over with here, I should be goin'. Have better stuff to do than hang out in a hospital room." Moma chimed in.

"Me too. I have work to go to..." agreed Ota as he walked in the door, the nurse following him.

"Me three. But we can have a proper celebration another time," Boss said sagely, flipping her ponytail off her shoulder. "...But for real. I'm glad you and Aiba are back."

"Thanks, Boss." Date said. "She appreciates it."

 **[You could have waited for me to say so, but sure.]** Aiba murmured.

The crowd started to thin out naturally, but a few stragglers weren't ready to depart yet. Mama and Mizuki had no intention of terminating their hug, and Hitomi looked like she still had something to say.

"Out! Out, all of you! The man needs his rest!" The grumpy nurse called, shepherding everyone outside. She turned to Hitomi and then said more quietly, "You wait." The woman in question nodded and left along with the others. Mizuki protested bitterly, yelling something about how she still needed to insult Date. With a little persuasion from Mama and Boss, she begrudgingly shuffled out.

Date turned a little, feeling the slight pull from the medical equipment. Sunlight was streaming through the window. He was regarding it absent-mindedly when the nurse from before approached the bedside. He recognized her freckles and big round glasses. 

"You're... Nanako, right? Hitomi's friend?"

Her previously sour expression softened somewhat. "Yes, that's me. Don't push yourself to talk, just take it easy, okay?"

"No, I'm not pushing myself." He insisted. "I mean, my throat hurts a little, but comas will do that to you, right?"

"You're... remarkably calm about all this." Nanako observed. "You really are a strange one. You should be disoriented, confused, even agitated. You just woke from a coma."

Date thought to himself. "No... it was more of a really long dream."

She looked momentarily nonplussed before regaining her composure. "I'm sorry about everyone making a racket in here. They should've known better."

"No, it's fine. It didn't bother me." he laughed, for what felt like the first time in a while.

Nanako frowned and checked her clipboard. "Your medical records indicate a history of memory loss. Do you know your name, to start off with?"

"My name is Kaname Date," said Date.

"And what else do you remember?"

"Oh, I remember everything." He said quietly. 

And he did - in another universe, half of the people who came to see him today... died. Iris died in his arms. Ota got cut in half by Saito. Boss was shot while in So's body. Hitomi had a bomb tied to her and the explosion-

He felt like he was going to be sick. He leaped out of bed to get to the sink, only to experience excruciating pain as the IV ripped out of his arm.

"Aghh!"

Nanako rushed to support his frail body, murmuring under her breath. "Calm down! You won't be able to walk properly in this state. Your legs have grown weak."

Date shakily stood up and promptly vomited into the sink. 

He couldn't get the images out of his head. Visions of people he should have been able to protect lying dead on the floor. On the ice cutter. Tied to a chair and consumed by flames, being completely blown apart.

 **[I understand now...]** Aiba gasped. **[Everything... I'm sorry I made you go through that alone.]**

[No, it wasn't your fault. And you know now too, so let's call it even.]

Nanako rubbed his back comfortingly as he retched again, unable to even expel that sickening feeling. "See, you're still malnourished. You need to get some rest."

"Sh... Sorry..." 

He was on schedule for a happy future. But the things he saw would never leave him, he was certain of that.

Seeing everyone together, alive, made him realize how lucky he was to get this timeline. If enduring the pain of four parallel universes was the cost for the peaceful yet chaotic life he'd been granted, well...

Date could deal with that.


	12. 未来 (mirAI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for following this story! I never imagined it'd get so much support, given that this is a small fandom! i'm so grateful you stuck with me to the end

A few days after the whole fiasco, Date was released from the hospital. The doctors were gobsmacked at how immediately he recovered from his coma, seemingly completely lucid and unharmed. All scans showed normal, much to Nanako's endless confusion.

The only thing they'd noticed out of the ordinary was an object embedded in the skull, which was only uncovered after several metal detectors loudly objected to Date's presence.

"Oh, that? That's my prosthetic eye." He'd said, calm as could be. "She's my partner."

Nanako hastily wrote a note on her clipboard: _'These painkillers are making everyone go loopy.'_

Of course, the fact that he was healthy was about all that could be said for him. Every other day, she'd come into the ward to find him in the midst of a panic attack, hyperventilating and talking to himself like a madman. It usually didn't take long for him to pull himself together, as he'd freeze and act normal as soon as he noticed someone was there.

Nanako was worried. She offered many leaflets and phone lines for mental support, but was turned down every time. Physically, Date was fine, but she was reluctant to let him leave in his current state of mind. After consultation with the other staff, they agreed he was to stay and undergo physical therapy to get him used to walking after two weeks of immobilization.

It was on the way back from one of these sessions when they struck up a real conversation.

"Visiting hours are soon, huh?" She asked, trying to be pleasant as she pushed the wheelchair. "Anyone coming to see you today?"

"I don't know," said Date truthfully.

Nanako paused. Apparently the indirect route wasn't working.

"So..."

"So?"

She narrowed her eyes. "You and Hitomi."

"W... What about me and Hitomi?" Date laughed awkwardly.

"I'm not blind." Nanako said.

 **[She is the least tactful nurse I have ever met,]** Aiba chimed in.

Date actually found it a little funny.

"Right now, you're my patient, so I'm taking care of you. But I care for her as a friend," confessed Nanako. "She's gone through far too much hurt in her life. Don't go after her if you're not serious."

"I am serious," he blurted out automatically. "I mean... er, well, because..."

The nurse just stared blankly.

"It's... complicated." he eventually decided.

"Do you love her?" She suddenly asked.

"W- Right out of the blue like that?!" He nearly leapt out of the wheelchair in shock.

"Answer the question."

"But I..."

 **[Answer the question, Date.]** Aiba jibed, having fun playing along.

Luckily for Date, that line of conversation was interrupted by a shrill beeping coming from the corridor behind them. Then he heard Hitomi's voice.

"Sorry," he heard her tell the nurse, "I think my shoulder plate set off the metal detector."

He wasn't sure whether to laugh or apologize profusely.

"You here to see me?" Date asked with a grin.

"Um, yes, actually. There's a lot I want to talk to you about," said Hitomi, dipping her head low.

"Well, follow me. We're going back to the ward room now." Nanako replied, ushering the two into an elevator. When they finally made it to their destination, she gave a short wave.

"I'll leave you to it," She said knowingly before flouncing off to complete other nursely duties.

Hitomi was slightly surprised. "Ah... alright."

They watched her leave before eventually turning back to face each other. Hitomi sat on the edge of the hospital bed like a child invited to their friend's room for the first time.

"I didn't get the chance to tell you," she began. "But Iris's scan results came back, quite a while ago actually. We got the all clear."

There were no words for the weight that lifted from his shoulders. In this crazy world, one thing was all right again. It was going to be okay. Iris was okay.

"I'm so relieved, I really am, but..." Hitomi tugged at her arm again, a little clue showing she was upset.

"But?"

"Well, you know." She sighed. "Life has a way of giving me hope and then pulling the rug out from under me. Every time something good happens, something bad isn't far behind. I got Iris back, and then you..."

There was nothing accusatory in her tone, and that perhaps hurt more. She never blamed anyone for anything. Whenever she was angry, it was always on the behalf of someone else. Someone this kind shouldn't have to endure so much.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, shaking her head at herself. "You're still recovering. I promise I didn't just come here to complain at you."

Date shrugged lazily. "No, it's fine. I'll take your complaints over Aiba's. Or Mizuki's."

 **"Excuse _me,"_** Aiba said indignantly, crawling out in record time, **"I seem to remember you were desperate to reunite with me last Somnium. You were all, 'Aiba, give me a hug! I can't live without you'!"**

"I did not say any of that." Date was quick to protest.

 **"Anyway, hello, Hitomi."** Aiba continued on, waddling up to her. **"We owe you much credit for helping us to wake up."**

"Oh? I'm still not sure what I did, but I'm glad," Hitomi laughed, a little awkwardly but still happily. The smile didn't leave her face, but she looked tired. "Oh, right, I was going to ask you something."

"What?" asked Date, ears perking up.

Hitomi tucked her hair behind her ear. "Remember after Renju's funeral, we went to Marble? You were about to ask me something before we were interrupted."

"Oh. That." Date mumbled into the back of his hand. "I was going to ask you... how your arm is doing lately."

She looked surprised. "It's... the same as ever. I can't move it, but I'm long used to that."

At those words, Date felt a pang of guilt. He'd never apologised for crippling Hitomi on that day. It wouldn't fix anything. Hitomi understood that, sensing the infinite amount of unsaid apologies that dampened the air whenever they were together. Date's 'sorries' were pitiful glances as she struggled with utensils, sneaky glances at her arm when he thought she wasn't looking, refusals to confront their three-month past.

"Have you ever thought about getting a prosthetic?" Date blurted out all of a sudden, feeling the urge to break the silence. Hitomi was taken aback. "A non-sentient one, of course."

 **[An sentient entity that functions as a right arm? I would hope it doesn't attack us.]** Aiba said.

[Aiba, handle the defense!] Date called playfully, momentarily forgetting the real conversation.

"I have considered it," admitted Hitomi. "But I didn't have the funds to waste on something like that once Iris started growing up and needing treatment."

"If you wanted one, I could-" He shut up as she shook her head slowly.

"I'm far too used to this now. Don't go to any trouble for me." She smiled thinly. "I... just want to leave all the dark things in the past and focus on what I _do_ have."

That resonated with him, in a way. In the past week he'd been agonizing about what to do about his newfound memories. For goodness' sake, he'd learned that _parallel worlds exist._ Granted, it was inside a dream, but...

Maybe he'd tell someone, when he finished putting all the broken pieces back together. But for now, all Date wanted was to be around his friends and show them just how much he cared about them. Death is sudden. He'd always known that, but seeing the massacres in alternate timelines branded that thought into his mind.

If there's one thing he learned from that nightmare, it was to appreciate the people close to you before it's too late. And he didn't want to spend the rest of his uncertain existence dithering around his feelings.

Aiba crawled up to him with an internal message. **[Put me back in, please.]**

Date turned away from an oblivious Hitomi as he put his eye back. He wanted their conversation to feel more private.

"Hitomi, I'm..." he wrung his hands nervously under a blanket. "I know I can never make it up to you completely. For what I did that day."

The whole thing was such an unbelievably cruel twist of fate. In Hitomi's attempt to protect Falco, her would-be murderer escaped, and the person who really wanted to save her ended up doing the opposite. In Rohan's body, with his hemispatial neglect, he could only perceive half of his vision. That's probably why he hit the wrong person at point-blank range.

 **[That's enough.]** Going over the triggers for every action that occurred that day wouldn't make things any better. Aiba had been respectful enough to leave Date in peace to process everything, but when things got too overwhelming, she was always there to keep him grounded. He nodded to her and abruptly remembered that he was supposed to be telling Hitomi something.

She was waiting patiently for him to go on, so he did.

"And I'm not the person you knew back then, either." Date mumbled. "We can't exactly 'pick up where we left off'. I can't be Falco ever again."

"I know," said Hitomi sadly. He could tell she'd thought a lot about this.

"But... uh..." He struggled to find the words. He felt like a little kid again - again? Did that mean he was regaining some form of memory from his childhood? Well, that could wait.

"If you have feelings... for the person I am now... do you want to give 'us' a shot again?"

Aiba couldn't even think of a sarcastic quip this time, or maybe she was being mindful of his feelings.

Hitomi looked at the floor, finding her feet very interesting all of a sudden. "L-Logically... there are so many reasons... that we shouldn't. So much has happened that we'll be unpacking the rest of our lives. Yet... it also feels like _because_ so much happened, it would be impossible _not_ to stay together."

"Are... are you rejecting me or not?"

Hitomi pouted. It was an adorable expression, the likes of which he'd never seen on her. "Do you think I would take a bullet for you just to reject you?"

Ah. She joked about it. Maybe that meant she'd accepted it. Date wasn't sure if he could ever accept it.

"So. Just to be clear on this point," Date said skeptically. "You, Hitomi Sagan. Want to date me. After I shot and crippled you."

"Yes," Hitomi enunciated, as though it were obvious. "And for the last time, it's fine. You may have hurt me, but you saved Iris and I too. This wound of mine... after all these years, I've made peace with it. It's proof that you wanted to save me, in a twisted way."

"Wow. Uh." Date had never thought about it like that. He still couldn't understand why she wasn't angry. Maybe she was hiding it. Maybe they were both pushing down a lot of things. "This is the most depressing confession ever."

Hitomi gasped as if remembering something. Date watched, confused, as she checked first her sweater pocket, then the pocket of her bag, before finally the pocket of her jeans. She nervously flipped through a bunch of post-it notes that were piled together.

"What are those?" asked Date.

"Puns," said Hitomi shyly. "I know that you like them. So I thought I'd tell you some to lighten the mood."

He couldn't help but break into a goofy grin. "Alright, let's hear one."

Hitomi read off the top of the pile. "Will you be my _right-hand_ man?"

Date squinted at her for five seconds straight before realizing what the joke was. It was so fucked-up because of the context, but for some reason he was laughing. It was because they were able to talk about it now.

Hitomi, pleased at the reception she was getting, fumbled with the notes and read another. "When we work together, we'll have good _hand-AI_ coordination."

Date merely trembled harder. "That's terrible," he wheezed.

"Um... let's go on a _blind_ date?" Hitomi offered, hiding her face behind the stacks of notes.

"Are these all pickup lines?"

"I wanted to be prepared if you _hit-o-mi._ Sorry, that was tenuous."

[Aiba,] Date thought between peals of laughter, [do a Google search for wedding rings.]

 **[Calm down, tiger.]** replied the unimpressed AI.

"Ahaha..." The laughter died down and suddenly everything was serious again. Date looked at Hitomi, an unusual softness in his expression. "So we're a thing now."

"Yes," Hitomi smiled. "If you want to be."

"I want that very much," said Date. To Hitomi's surprise and amusement, he was blushing.

Hitomi shuffled closer, her cheeks noticeably pink, and kissed him hard out of nowhere.

After a time, she pulled away, not wanting to ruin the moment. Their relationship was a very fragile thing at this stage, to be handled with care. There would be time for everything else later. For now, she had to cherish her feelings.

"W-What was that?" asked Date, feeling like his brain was about to implode.

"Revenge?" Hitomi replied.

"Revenge." Date repeated, stunned.

She smiled. "Now we're even."

Ah. Yeah. He had done that to her, hadn't he?

"Even stevens," he agreed.

 **[Please don't tell me I have to put up with double dorks over here for the rest of my life,]** Aiba groaned internally.

Hitomi was unaware, however, and looked happy. "Then, please take care of me... Kaname."

She said his name, and for the first time since the Cyclops Incident, he believed it.

* * *

_**One month later...** _

"What's up, losers?"

Boss strode into her office, a hot cup of coffee in each hand. She immediately pushed her way to the center of the room and sat atop her desk, as usual. The three others present in the room stared with equally deadpan expressions.

"Don't call your employees losers," said Date, who was occupying the chair to the left of the room, putting some spare change into a jar labled "DIRTY JOKE PENALTY".

 **"Personally, I object to being put into the same category as humans."** Aiba was in hamster form, lounging in the bottom half of a matryoshka doll. Next to her was an open laptop, streaming a video of her one-and-only-programmer. Pewter looked bored as ever in his prison jumpsuit.

"Boss, if you don't mind me asking," came Pewter's voice from the machine, "Why does _he_ get to sit on the spinny chair?"

All eyes turned towards the back of the office, where Kei Shiraishi of all people was sitting mutely in the desk chair usually reserved for Boss.

"Newbie rights," she explained. "Everyone I employ gets ONE shot on my chair, tax-free."

"I don't recall ever getting a shot." Pewter frowned.

"Maybe if you hadn't insisted on tinkering with everything I own and ruining it beyond repair, I would have let you have one." Boss moved over and shifted the laptop, subtly capturing the exercise bike in the webcam.

"Ruined? Nonsense. I can fix it easy as pie."

Boss laughed. "You have to get approved for parole first."

"Don't worry about that, it's looking good." replied Pewter. "The Inspector has been vouching for me. I'm more concerned about why someone who apparently threatened our entire organization is lounging around here, happy as Larry."

Kei slouched over the desk, clearly the opposite of happy as Larry.

"It's complicated," said Boss. In Boss-speak, or Shizuese as Date had taken to calling it, that meant she couldn't be bothered to explain. "He knows about Psync and had the wherewithal to accuse us, so we need to keep him under our thumbs. If you can't beat 'em, hire 'em. Now he's an accomplice, so he can't go exposing us anymore. We have so much blackmail on him, and he's good with computers, so I couldn't let him go. Had to pull some strings, but..."

"Didn't he kill someone?" Pewter asked.

"Nobody's perfect." Boss shrugged. "Besides, we have employees with higher body counts. And I don't mean that in the sexual wa- crap."

(She pulled out a 5 yen coin and put it into the jar.)

"What does he actually do?" Pewter was unconvinced.

"You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here." The man in question mumbled. "I had the wrong idea about this place before. You guys... are bringing the justice I thought I was bringing."

"High praise indeed."

"He's getting ready to take a course in ABIS etiquette." said Boss.

"We have a course for that?" Date chimed in.

"Once it's over and done with, he'll be our stand-in programmer while Pewter is gone."

"Hear that, Pewter? This upstart's gonna steal your job."

Kei looked sullen as per usual, taking a coffee offered by Boss. "Please don't instigate things between me and senpai."

Pewter's eyes widened on call. "Oh... oh my goodness. I- me- a senpai?"

 **"You said a while ago that there's nothing worthwhile in the outside world."** Aiba said gently. **"Do you still feel that way, seeing your friends and a protége desperately in need of tutelage?"**

Date opened his mouth to completely ruin the moment. "Is he really gonna call Pewter senpai? That... is weird, not going to lie."

"Spoken like a man who has watched too many weird hentai." Kei mumbled without lifting his head.

Boss smiled. "Ah, the legendary rite of passage. You're not a true ABIS worker until you can bully Date out of reflex."

Pewter nodded along in agreement; Date raved in the background about how he watched perfectly normal hentai, thank you very much.

 **"Date. Kei. Put a coin in the penalty jar."** Aiba said sternly.

"I don't have any money left!" Date objected as Kei could be seen pulling out his wallet.

"Yes. I look forward to the day I'll be able to return." Pewter nodded.

"Don't worry," Boss reassured him. "I think Kei here will be fine. Hey, Date, you remember the case I told you about? The dog theft?"

Date nodded. "The one about the poodle?"

"Yeah, that." She continued. "I was talking to Kei, and do you know what he said? 'Why don't you Psync with the dog?' So I got to thinking, what if-"

"We're not seriously going there, are we?" Date looked at the others, alarm in his voice.

"What if we could Psync with animals?" Boss cut in. "Victims' pets could be prime witnesses. Nobody thinks a cat is going to snitch on them."

"I see where you're coming from, but please be realistic." Pewter protested. "The Psync gear was designed with humans in mind. I'd have to rework the whole system - no, it'd be faster to make one from scratch. It's not feasible."

Boss spun a pen around her finger. "If you can come up with at least a blueprint, I'll put in a good word with your parole officers."

"That's not enough," said Pewter.

"What?"

"I want that, _and,_ " He raised his index finger to the screen, "one shot on the spinny chair, tax-free."

Boss deflated. "You've got yourself a deal. Kei, I want you on this, too."

"Of course." said Kei, leaping to attention.

"As for Date, you can... get back to work now, I guess," shrugged Boss. "There are no Psyncs scheduled for today, but your vacation is over. Seeing as you slept for two weeks and spent the next month at Central..."

"Best vacation ever," said Date with a straight face. "I actually have to go somewhere now, if you don't mind..."

"Oh, where are you sneaking off to? Your girlfriend's place, perhaps?" Boss smirked.

"Yeah," Date blinked in surprise. "You knew about that?"

"Aiba told me."

[AiBAAA!]

**[Oh? Should I not have told her? Do you want her to think you're available?]**

[That's not what I meant and you know it.]

"Besides, Boss isn't my type," he mumbled aloud. "-Ah shit."

Boss was about to bring the golden flames of hellfire upon him when the day was saved by Pewter's lack of intel.

"Wait, Date has a girlfriend?" Pewter said, gobsmacked. "Who is it?"

"Hitomi Sagan, can you believe it?" Boss chuckled. "Six years and two swaps later, they work it out."

"B-Boss, stop, it's embarrassing." Date muttered.

Kei didn't know what was going on, but he seemed content to pour over some documents anyway.

"Now we definitely have a reason to celebrate." said Pewter, who was transparently angling for a chance to go to Marble. "Let's make it a party. Once I get out, of course."

"Sure, Pewter, you're on." said Boss. "First round's on you for helping Saito."

"You can't just use that as a catch-all to make me do anything."

Boss said his name, but it didn't hurt as much anymore. Pewter sighed and nodded before shutting the stream down.

Date checked his watch and leapt up with a start. "Dammit, I'm gonna be late, gotta rush!"

He took his jacket off the lampshade where it hung; a raincoat, rather than his usual attire. He slung it around his shoulders and stepped through all the memorabilia on the floor as if avoiding landmines. Boss finally realized how messy it was in here.

"What's with that?" Kei asked.

"I don't know." Boss smiled. "But doesn't the mood feel lighter? It's like everyone found a place to go home to."

"What?"

"Nothing," she waved.

* * *

Not long after that, Date arrived at the Sagan Household where they were meeting. Hitomi opened the door, wearing a dusty old apron he hadn't seen her in for a long time. She led them through to the living room, where Mizuki, Iris and Ota were already waiting.

"I didn't realize this was going to be such a big thing," he admitted.

"The more the merrier, right?" Hitomi waved her hand, telltale particles of flour flying off. "I invited everyone."

Mizuki frowned at everyone, her head darting back and forth. "You guys wanna tell me what's going on or what?"

Iris bounced up and down excitedly. "It's the Okonomiyaki War II! This is gonna be so fun!"

"Okonowhatnow?" Mizuki was nonplussed.

"I thought we should make it more of an event," said Hitomi, "since we have more players now..."

"How about we split into teams?" Date suggested. "You kids versus us old timers."

"I'm 24," Ota reminded, to which he was ignored.

Hitomi giggled, looking almost as excited as Iris did. "Okay. Three against three. Iris, Mizuki and Ota, you're a team. I'll be with Aiba and Kaname."

"Inspector Kaname's here?" asked a surprised Date.

 **[You dolt! That's** ** _your_** **name!]** Aiba groaned.

Oh. So it was. He still needed to be reminded sometimes. More importantly, he got to team up with Hitomi. And Aiba too, he guessed.

"She's staying in," He laid down the law. "Aiba, I don't care how much you want to throw things, I'm not getting okonomiyaki bits in my eye."

**[Hmph. Unfair.]**

Hitomi gestured to the kitchen table, every inch covered by various foodstuffs. Some of which was not remotely okonomiyaki. "Anything on the table is fair game, but stay out of the fridge, okay?"

"Okay," everyone parrotted.

"I guess this is happening," Mizuki said, eyebrows raised.

"Don't worry, Iris! I'll protect you!" Ota predictably was jumping at the bit to prove himself.

"Ready, everyone?" Iris cheered. "Three, two, one... go!"

It was absolute chaos. Everyone barged in at once, trying to grab bits of food for themselves and be the first one to strike. Iris leaned over the table to grab a pancake, inadvertently tripping Ota up in her rush. Mizuki immediately laid claim to a carton of eggs, and within no time at all she was brandishing an egg between each knuckle. No, Date didn't know how that was possible either.

"First blood!" She exclaimed as she prepared to hurl the entire carton at him.

"You're not supposed to throw the whole thing!" Ota warned, to no avail.

 **[Date, look!]** Aiba said, thinking quickly. **[There's a porno mag on the ground!]**

[What?!]

Everyone watched in shock as he ducked down to the floor at lightning speed, deftly avoiding the carton sailing overhead. It hit the back wall with a crunch. Mizuki in particular looked very angry.

"Take this!" She yelled, throwing the eggs. As one cracked on his head, Date absently thought that Pewter would've had a field day with this.

Hitomi picked up a nearby lump of what appeared to be cake batter. "We have to fight back, don't we?"

"Y- ow!" Date yelped as a block of butter hit him in the back. He turned around to see Iris scampering out of the kitchen. "Get back here, you little punk!"

Iris only giggled as she disappeared out of view, Ota not far behind. He heard an ominous splat from behind and looked only to see Mizuki of all people covered in flour and pancake fragments.

"I trusted you, Miss Hitomi!" She cried out in utter betrayal as Hitomi laughed.

The laughter didn't last long as Mizuki's onslaught of vengeance targeted them both. In a vain attempt to escape the pelting of foodstuffs, Date and Hitomi took shelter under the table. Mizuki was about to come closer when something hit her in the back of the head.

Iris's playful voice came from the distance. "Watch out for friendly fire, Mizuki!"

"Iriiiiis!" The enraged teen yelled before zipping through the door to engage in yet more combat. When the sounds of splatting became more distant, Hitomi quietly looked up to Date and giggled.

"Look at us, getting all serious at a kid's game..." Date said, embarrassed.

"But that's why it's fun," replied Hitomi. "Although... this is more Hide and Seek than Okonomiyaki War right now."

A brief cry of "Every man for himself!" could be heard through the wall.

"Hey," Date said slyly, "What do you say we ditch the house and camp out on the patio outside?"

"Is that allowed?" She asked.

"Nobody said it's _not."_ He shrugged.

They sneaked through the sliding door and slipped outside. The garden was nice, spacious, everything you'd expect from someone as organized as Hitomi. She sat down at the edge of the garden, prompting Date to do the same.

They sat on the patio, looking at everything. The way the blades of grass twinkled in the dew of yesterday's downpour, the way the sun was just peeking through behind a patch of clouds. The temperature too was perfect, making Date feel like curling up and taking a nap.

"We can wait out here, and when someone comes back to the living room, that's when we'll strike."

Hitomi looked amused. "You sure have thought this through."

"But knowing them, it'll take a while before they notice we're gone..."

"Maybe we should just bask in the sunlight." Hitomi suggested, leaning into his shoulder.

"My thoughts exactly," smiled Date with his eyes closed.

For a while, all was peaceful. Even the racket being made by their daughters inside couldn't disrupt the calming atmosphere. The sun was shining brightly, but the feeling of Hitomi's neck against his shoulder was warmer still.

"You know," said Hitomi suddenly, "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"Yeah?"

"But... I wonder if this is okay," she said while staring ahead. "I feel like... I shouldn't be living a life this good... because Manaka was supposed to be Iris's mother, and I stole it from her..."

"You didn't," Date replied. "Saito was the one who took Manaka's life. You were carrying on Manaka's will. If she knew she wouldn't be able to rise Iris, I'm sure she would've wanted you to be the one to do it. You were best friends all that time - Manaka would be proud of you. She wouldn't blame you."

Hitomi nodded. "Y... you're right, Kaname. Manaka was the kindest person I knew. She wouldn't be angry at me."

"That's right." Date smiled fondly. It would take a while for Hitomi to accept that fully, but he'd be there for her every step of the way.

...

Eventually, the three youngsters found the two sleeping in the garden.

Iris was the first to wake them up, pouting madly. "Who sleeps through Okonomoyaki War? Lame!"

"Hwa...?" Hitomi had no idea what was going on. "We fell asleep."

Ota looked a lot more covered in eggs than he did earlier. "We spent ages looking for you guys! I got ganged up on because the other team disappeared!"

"Sorry not sorry," said Mizuki, a telltale smirk on her face.

"Does this mean the war's over?" Iris whined, disappointment welling in her eyes.

"We can continue this another time," Date said. "It doesn't have to be a one-off thing."

Hitomi frowned a little in mock reluctance. "But Kaname, it's such a pain to clean up..."

Iris and Mizuki looked at each other. Then they looked at Ota, who didn't seem to pick up on the sentiment communicated in their gazes.

A shit-eating grin climbed up Iris's face. "Hmmmm? Since when are you two on first-name basis?"

Date was about to stutter out something stupid before mercifully...

 **[Date, a call's coming in from the Boss.]** Aiba informed.

[Connect me.] He could take the call in front of these guys - they already knew about Aiba and ABIS in great detail. Still, he shuffled to a corner so as not to be disruptive.

"Hey, Date!" Boss said over the phone. "I'm gonna need you to come in ASAP."

"For what?" grimaced Date.

"We think we found the person who killed that woman over in Kichijoji. We were gonna have another Psyncer do it, but they've taken ill and I can't get anyone else. Pretty please could you fill in?"

"A murder in Kichijoji..."

"Don't worry, we've brought the suspect to HQ. Just do what you always do."

"...Well," Date sighed theatrically. "I suppose I do owe you one."

"Owe me?" Boss's voice was inquisitive. "For what?"

"For everything you've done for me," he explained. "You gave me a second chance and a new life. I've never really known how to thank you for that."

"Ugh, enough of the mushy crap and get over here, please." Her words were harsh, but there was a smile in her tone. "You can thank me by Psyncing with this nutjob."

"Alright," he said, and Aiba hung up.

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Iris.

"Yeah. I have to go catch some crooks. I'll be back in a couple hours."

"Catch 'em good!" said Mizuki, punching the sky.

"See you later, then."

He smiled at everyone. On Hitomi, his eyes lingered a little longer.

"Be careful," she said with a smile.

"Yeah, I will." He said, and he meant it.

Date went through the front door and got in the car, and soon Aiba was projecting herself by his side. The drive to HQ was quiet yet pleasant.

 **"Some things never change,"** Aiba said airily.

"Let's do this, Aiba." Date smirked as the car disappeared across the motorway, becoming little more than a speck in a growing network of stars.


End file.
